Pieces of a Whole
by Cindylou30
Summary: Tony always said he would kill for his friends...and die for them. Is he about to make true that promise? Sorry, suckish with summaries... Was originally 'Kidnapped' Second chapter is WAY better than the first! DEFINITE Pepperony in future
1. Chapter 1

A/N This is mostly just a babbling chapter…except for the end of this one…yeah…

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter One

"Tony…"

"No, Pepper."

"Pwease…"

"No."

"But-"

"I said no, Pep."

"But Eddy…"

"Don't call me that."

"Please, Eddy…"

"Patty."

"That name doesn't bother me. Unless you say it in public. Then I'd go super-nova on you."

Tony sighed, tearing his eyes away from the holographic schematics and turning his swivel chair to look at Pepper. "Pepper, I can't stress how bad of an idea it would be to give you your own armor equipped with weapons, when every time you touch the Iron Man repulsors, you turn my desk into a mini mushroom cloud. So, once again, no. At least until you can operate the repulsors and learn to fly without crashing into the wall and passing out."

Pepper pouted, jutting out her lower lip. "But I can learn…"

"And when you do, I'll make you your own armor. End. Of. Discussion." Tony turned back to the schematics, hoping Pepper would let it go for once. Yesterday, she had literally gotten on her knees and begged Tony for her own armor. And he would really like for her to have her own armor, but she was worse than Rhodey used to be when it came down to handling it.

"Okay. Fine," Pepper sighed. "But I'll have you know, one day, when you're backed up in a corner in some dark alley, you'll be all, "Oh no, Pepper, save me!" and I'll be all, "No, 'cause you didn't make me armor. And then you'll wish you had."

Tony snorted. "Yeah, o-kay, you keep on thinking that." He glanced at Pepper. "Have you finished your homework?"

"You know I haven't. Help me with science!"

Tony just smirked as he stood up and stretched, watching Pepper grab her textbook from her book bag. It was good that he had thought about the work before he started building a prototype, or he would've been gone mentally until it was finished.

"Did Rhodey say when he'd get back?" Pepper questioned as she plopped down on the couch Tony had dragged into the armory for his friends to use when he was busy inventing, opening her textbook on her lap.

"He said it'd be five-ish. The history debate team gets into a lot of arguments while they're practicing." Tony searched his desk for a pencil, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where is it-?"

"Looking for something?" Pepper asked, smiling and tapping her left ear. Tony's brow furrowed in confusion, and then he felt his ear and touched the blue mechanical pencil tucked behind it.

"I totally knew that was there," Tony shrugged, falling onto the couch and slipping Pepper's textbook onto his knees. "Now which questions're you having trouble with?"

"Let's see, um, one, two, three, four, and all of the others, too," Pepper grinned sheepishly. Tony gaped at her, flabbergasted.

"This is pre-school material!"

"Pre-school for you, high school for me. Now shut up and help me, or else I'll-"

Tony pressed a finger to Pepper's lips, sensing a rant approaching. "Okay, fine." He glanced at the first question, then sighed. "'What is an atom'?" Really?"

"Not all of us have such a big brain. Some of us are normal, not a crazy, mad-scientist."

"First of all, I am not crazy, I'm eccentric. There's a difference."

A hour passed by, and Tony had moved on from Pepper's science to checking her world history paper. Pepper would glance over every once in a while to see what he was marking up, and squinted to read his messy scrawl when he added little notes beside a paragraph. She only objected every once in a while, when she was sure she had gotten something right that Tony marked up.

"Hey, woah, wait. How is that wrong?" Pepper asked, pointing to a paragraph that Tony had just finished reading.

"You said Alexander the Great was Roman. And he didn't fall in love with Cleopatra the Seventh. I think you got him mixed up-"

"Oh, dang, lemme fix that!" Pepper cried, yanking the paper out of Tony's hands. Tony shrugged.

"Take it, I'm done. And that was written very nicely, by the way."

"Uh, thanks," Pepper said, blushing at Tony's comment, though she didn't know why. Tony stood up and paced a little, running his hands through his hair.

"Do you feel that?" Tony asked after a while, biting his lower lip and dropping his hands to his sides.

"Feel what?" Pepper asked, setting her textbook on the couch and stretching.

"I dunno, like something's just-wrong." Tony glanced around as though expecting someone to jump out at him. "I-I guess I'm just paranoid."

Pepper leapt up from the couch at once, making Tony jump. "Nuh-uh, don't go there. You're instincts are usually right, and if they're telling you something's wrong, then something's wrong." She looked at him. "What should we do?"

"Leave," Tony muttered, immediately grabbing his black backpack/armor and slipping it over his shoulders. Pepper didn't question his judgment. Although she thought it would be a better idea to face whatever danger Tony was sensing where they had the home advantage and were surrounded by weapons, Tony was usually right.

"C'mon," Tony whispered as Pepper gathered the last of her things, wrapping a protective arm around her and pulling her close, a clear sign to anyone who might be watching that Pepper was no going to be hurt while he could help it. As they exited the armory, Tony couldn't help but throw one last glance around.

Unfortunately, he didn't see the pair of beady red eyes staring back at him from the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Here's where it starts getting interesting. Last chapter was…meh.

Chapter Two

As the two walked down the overcrowded streets of upper New York, Pepper studied Tony's expression intently. The uncharacteristic playfulness he had been showing at the armory seemed to have worn off, replaced once again by his slightly cautious demeanor. Always on guard, always cautious…always the noble hero. Pepper sighed, wishing for a millionth time that Tony wasn't forced to carry the burdens on his shoulders.

Pepper wasn't sure when exactly the rain began to fall, but she did know that it was shockingly freezing and cut through her clothes like daggers. Tony grabbed her hand and directed her through the driving rain, swerving around pedestrians scrambling for a bit of shelter from the precipitation. Pepper's teeth began to chatter, and Tony slipped his book bag off of his shoulders, holding it over Pepper like an umbrella.

They reached the Rhodes' house half an hour, teeth chattering and soaked to the bone. It took Tony's hands, trembling from the biting wind that had started up, six attempts at unlocking the door before it swung open. Pepper nearly threw herself inside, and Tony stepped in and closed the door.

The room was completely silent for a moment, not including the sound of water droplets dripping off the wet teens, until Pepper shivered.

"Brrr… wow, it's _cold_."

Tony looked at her and blinked, as though just noticing she was there.

"You're wet," he mumbled, entering the living room and starting up the staircase. Pepper followed, folding her arms over her chest and clenching her elbows, shivering. She waited as Tony stuck his head in a bathroom, then tossed a navy blue towel to her. "Go on and dry off. I'll get you a dry shirt to put on." He disappeared into his room as Pepper toweled down her hair and body, wishing for heat of some sort. Tony popped back a moment later, and he handed her a red t-shirt.

"One of mine," he answered at Pepper's inquiring look. Pepper nodded and took Tony's bedroom to change, and Tony took the bathroom.

After a few minutes, both teens stepped back into the hall, wearing fresh clothes.

"How do I look?" Pepper asked, pinching the sides of the slightly baggy shirt. Tony grinned.

"Beautiful, Pep."

Pepper felt the thick red material between her thumb and forefinger. "It's really thick."

"Has to be," Tony shrugged, drumming his fingers on his chest. "Blocks out the noise of the arc reactor. I think people would go mad if they heard its humming twenty-four seven."

They walked back downstairs, entering the living room. Pepper plopped down on the couch, and Tony took the leather chair, pulling his knees to his chest.

"You can find something to watch," Tony mumbled, gesturing at the blank television. Pepper nodded and grabbed the remote, and Tony laid his head back on the back of the chair, closing his eyes as he drummed his fingers on the armrest and fidgeted uncomfortably. Pepper often wondered whether Tony had just a smidge of ADHD, because it seemed unnatural for the teen to stay still longer than a minute. He was always tapping a pencil, tapping his fingers, always in motion, always active.

Pepper surfed through the channels, finally finding a sow that brought a smile to her face. She selected it and waited for Tony's reaction.

"Oooh, who lives in a pineapple under the sea-?"

Tony head jerked up, his eyes flying open.

"No," he deadpanned, glaring at her.

"Everyone loves _Spongebob!"_

"_Not me."_

_Pepper laughed and shrugged, changing the channel to a science show. Tony didn't have a chance to protest before Pepper changed the channel again._

"_No," she mocked him._

_Tony rolled his eyes and sat back as Pepper turned on some sitcom. The minutes ticked by, and Tony was reaching the point of such severe boredom he was contemplating taking his phone apart and seeing what he could make out of it._

_Suddenly, a crash and the tinkling of glass hitting the floor sounded from the kitchen, and Tony was on his feet in an instant._

"_Don't move!" he barked at Pepper, racing towards the source of the noise. Pepper, of course, did exactly the opposite, leaping after the lanky teen._

_She found Tony in the kitchen, a window busted out and a huge rock laying on the floor. In Tony's hand was a note, and what it read made him pale._

"_Pepper, go," he said, eyes wide._

"_What?"_

"_Go! Get put of here, run!" Tony grabbed Pepper by the shoulders and began steering her out the front door. Pepper squirmed in Tony's grasp, trying to free herself, but his grip was like steel. He pushed her out the front door, and their gazes locked for a moment before Tony slammed the door shut._

_Pepper tried the knob, but it was locked. She tried pounding on it with her fists, but it wouldn't give._

"_Tony! Tooonnnny!" she screeched, terrified for reasons unknown._

_That's when she heard the scream._

_It was agonizing and drawn-out, but cut off in the middle by something. Pepper started crying, having no clue what was happening. Finally, she regained enough sense to kick in a window, and she scrambled in the house, calling Tony's name. She reached the kitchen, which was a wreck. Chairs overturned, tables flattened. But that wasn't what made Pepper sink to her knees and start to sob. Not by a long shot._

_In the middle of the floor was a knife._

_And beside it a pool of blood._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Chapter Three! Yay!

Thanks everyone who reviewed, appreciate it! And Crazytomboy78, yeah, spelling is definitely not my forte! Thanks for the criticism!

And Carpetbakr, you're on here too? Wow, I never realized how many were on here! And thanks for reviewing, glad you like so far!

And to the others I haven't thanked for reviewing, Finny-Kun Goddess, mach5plus1, and Alice. Simply Dreamer 15! Thanks!

(This is definitely not my best chapter, due to insomnia and writer's block, and I might re-edit or rewrite it later. :D )

Chapter Three

Rhodey paced back and forth in the overturned kitchen, hands folded behind his back and his face grim. Nearby, Pepper sat on one of the still-usable kitchen chairs, rocking back-and-forth as tears threatened to stream down from her eyes again.

"And he was just gone," Rhodey repeated for the fifth time.

"Yes!" Pepper cried, squeezing the side of the chair so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I walked in and he was gone…and the kitchen w-was a wreck…and, Rhodey, blood!" Pepper burst into tears before her breathing cut off, ragged, and she began wheezing, having a panic attack. Rhodey knelt down beside her, gripping her hands.

"Breathe, Pepper," he commanded.

"I'm t-trying!"

"No, you're not. In through your nose, out through your mouth. C'mon, Pepper." Rhodey watched as Pepper's breathing slowly returned to normal with the aide of this breathing exercise, although her eyes were still watery. "We don't even know it was Tony's blood."

"I know it is, Rhodey, I just know it! And now some villain has him, and he doesn't have his armor, and they-they're going to kill him! They can't kill him, Tony can't die! He c-can't!" Fresh tears flowed down Pepper's cheeks, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Tony's not going to die," Rhodey reassured her. "We're going to find him."

"How?" Pepper asked, doubt dripping from her tone.

"Well, we-we can-"

Rhodey stopped, realizing he didn't know how. Tony's tracker had been disconnected, and without the armor, there really wasn't any other way to locate him.

"We'll find him, Pepper," Rhodey repeated, climbing to his feet.

_How are we going to do that?_

The phone rang, and Rhodey leapt for it, thinking it was his mom calling to check up on them like she normally did at this time of day.

"Hello?" he said.

"_James Rhodes."_

Rhodey's blood ran cold, and his skin crawled as the cold, unfamiliar voice on the end of the line. "Who is this?"

"_You will know soon enough. But now we must talk business."_ The voice on the end of the line was sharp and high-pitched, yet there was a hint of humor in his voice when he spoke. _"Anthony Stark is going to die if you do not listen very carefully."_

Rhodey swallowed hard and put the cell phone on speaker, motioning at Pepper, who was staring at him with wide eyes, to get the computer from his backpack. Pepper hastened to pull it out of the bag, and she turned it on and began typing furiously, distracted now by a job she could accomplish, only pausing to wipe roughly at the tears still escaping her chocolate-brown eyes.

"What do you want? Money?" Rhodey growled.

"_On the contraire, James, I simply want to have a good time. You see, it's been a while since I've played a good game, and this looks to be simply marvelous. If you play your part correctly and listen to what I tell you, Anthony might just get out of this alive. And I'm sure that's what you want, yes?"_

"You-you-you freaking psychopath!" Rhodey yelled angrily, clenching his fists. "Why would I-"

"_Before I'd make any rash decisions, I'd think about all of the people you'd be hurting by refusing to cooperate. Don't think I won't kill him if you don't follow my directions. And if that isn't enough of a threat, I could always mention your friend's secret to some of my buddies. You see, they don't much like Iron Man, and they'd be more than willing to take out his friends and family."_

"How do you know he's Iron Man?" Rhodey asked, taken aback. Pepper glanced up for a moment, then began typing again.

"_Unimportant."_ In the background, an agonizing scream sounded, over and over. Rhodey nearly dropped the phone when he recognized his friend's voice.

"What are you doing to him?" Rhodey asked, his voice cracking. He could hear Pepper struggling to hold in another panic attack at the table at the sound of the screams.

"_I believe now I have gotten your attention. If you don't find him in time, Anthony will die, and he will suffer a long, painful death. The torture has already begun. If you want to save him, you had better listen."_ The voice paused as another round of screams began, then he plowed on. _"It's a puzzle. There are several clues you can find that will help you locate where the next clue will be. At each, you will find a stopwatch. The remaining time on it indicates the time Anthony has left._"

"Where is the first clue?" Rhodey asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"_I cannot tell you. But I'd search well, if I were you. Your friend's life depends on it."_

There was a click and then a dial tone. He was gone.

Rhodey simply stood there, phone in hand, eyes closed. He tried imagining two hours ago, when it was just another day, certainly nothing to suggest that his best friend and brother would be kidnapped and tortured to some guy's twisted, screwed-up mind.

"Found him," Pepper called to Rhodey, snapping him out of his reverie. "I t-traced his voice in the FBI mainframe. Chandler Clark, known for kidnapping his victims and demanding the victim's closest f-friends search for him in a s-strategic game." She gulped. "N-none of his victims have ever been found before the designated time r-ran out on their lives."

Rhodey squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose, taking it all in. Tony was kidnapped. He was going to die if they didn't play along to this twisted guy's game. Great. Freaking fantastic.

After a moment, Rhodey's eyes snapped open. "Pepper help me look for anything different, anything that was or wasn't here before. We need the first clue."

Pepper nodded, and they began scouting the kitchen for any abnormalities(not including its trashed state), the room deathly quiet other than Pepper's quiet sobs that returned every once in a while and the sound of chairs being pushed hastily aside. After a half an hour, Rhodey called Pepper over.

"There was a note on the fridge," Rhodey said, pointing at the fridge's bare door. "It's gone. But I can't remember what was on it." Then his eyes widened. "Oh, wait, it was a receipt! It was a receipt of Mom's from that little store around the corner!"

"Well, what are you waiting for, c'mon!" Pepper cried, pulling Rhodey towards the front door. She tried to hold herself together, assuring herself they'd find the inventor.

She didn't dare let herself think about the consequences if they failed.

Agony. Fear. Confusion. Nothing made sense, nothing seemed solid. There was only a nauseating dizziness that encompassed his body, making him feel as though he were rocking on the waves of an ocean during a hurricane. And, of course, the pain.

What had they done to him? He could barely remember. He was almost certain they had drugged him, which would explain the dizziness, but what about the pain? What were they doing to him? Why wouldn't they just kill him already? Every breath felt as though dozens of razor-sharp knives were piercing his lungs, and every movement resulted in his limbs feeling as though they had been hacked up by a chainsaw.

And then, while he was still trying to figure out where he was and what was going on, came even more pain. It coursed through his veins like poison, spreading its fiery agony throughout his body. He was on fire; he had to be, right? Could there be any other explanation for this pain? Someone was screaming-it may have been him, at this point he didn't care-and his vision was began to tint with red. A deep numbness was spreading over his mind, calling him, coaxing him to just give in to the inevitable, and somewhere in his drug-influenced brain he was wondering whether he should just give up when he heard the scream of outrage.

"You fools! He can't die yet, he's the only thing we have to keep those two playing!"

The pain lessened microscopically, and Tony knew he should try again to discern where he was, _who he was, but all he wanted to do was sleep. Something in the back of his mind was lulling him to sleep, telling him that it was okay to rest, that he wouldn't die in his sleep, so he finally succumbed to the exhaustion and darkness temporarily claimed his subconscious._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I just want to warn that this chapter has parts of Tony's torture in it. I always say my writing reflects my mood, and I've been in a funk for days now. I've just been listening to Skillet and finishing up homework, and have been trying not to brood on everything bad, and this is the first thing I've written since that last chapter. So if you don't like this chapter, I'll be back to normal in no time. XD But I wanna thank everyone for reviewing, it always cheers me up. Oh, and Unikdork, sorry if you were confused. I had a symbol for the setting transition, but it didn't show on FF.**

**And thank you, Finnny-Kun Goddess!**

**And Carpetbakr and Alice. Dreamer 15, yes, Tony mustn't die on us!**

**And yes, better things are to come for Tony! (But I really feel bad for him in this chapter)**

Chapter Four

_Where am I?_

An ice-cold floor. Sharp manacles digging into his wrists, holding his arms above his head. A searing pain in his chest that had yet to dissipate.

_Where am I?_

Tony took a deep breath, his eyes still squeezed shut, then began coughing roughly. Icy daggers seemed to be puncturing his lungs with every breath, and the deeper and quicker he breathed, the farther the daggers seemed to penetrate into his lungs.

"Sleeping Beauty finally awakes."

The teen stiffened, his electric blue eyes snapping open. He jerked his head back to see who had spoken, but excruciating pains rushed through his head, making it feel as though a hammer were beating in his skull from the inside. Tony bit back a moan, drawing his legs to his chest and pressing his head between his knees until the pain and nausea subsided.

Of course; _now _he remembered. He remembered the note, and pushing and Pepper out the door, and then _they_ had come, and any memories since then had been blurred by agony.

_Pepper._ Another dull throb ran across his temple. _Is she okay? Please let her be okay…_

"Well, are you going to look at me, or what?"

Tony felt a pang of hatred for this speaker as, which incredible pain and difficulty, he raised his head to where he could see, brightly colored spots dancing in his vision as he got his first look at the speaker.

The man was tall and thin, though muscular, with dark black hair and stormy grey eyes. A thin, lopsided smile played at his mouth as he stared back at the inventor with malice. He wore a dark-grey muscle-shirt that displayed his biceps with dyed black jeans and sneakers that seemed to be colored in with dark blue ink. Tony estimated him to be in his early twenties.

"Well? Do I look exceptional as the bad guy? Does the dark outfit draw out my 'dark side'?"

Tony said the first thing he thought. "You're nuts."

Laughter. "Yes, I suppose I am."

A cable shot out of the wall behind Tony, wrapping around his throat and tightening, restricting his oxygen intake. Tony's eyes widened as he gasped for air, straining against his shackles. Unfortunately, trying to keep from suffocating, he didn't notice the man pick up a long, dainty-looking dagger off of a wooden table and begin to approach him.

One swift movement, and the dagger was embedded in the teen's side. The agony of his oxygen-starving brain and the sharpened metal digging into his side was too much for the genius. He felt the blade twist in his skin as lights danced in front of his eyes, and he began to feel very, very light-headed. The dagger was removed, slowly and sloppily, drawing out as much pain with it as possible. The cord around his throat slackened, and Tony slumped forward, gulping mouthfuls of air as he went limp.

"A-hem."

Tony was shaking so badly, when he finally managed to raise his electric eyes up, it seemed as though the whole world was shaking. The red liquid coating the dagger in the man's hand seemed to stand out though, and Tony found he couldn't tear his eyes away from it.

"Would you like to cry out for your _girlfriend_ one last time? Don't worry, when they don't find you in time, she'll move on quickly. Get over you. Find someone _new._ Someone _normal_." The blade hovered ever closer, and it took every ounce of Tony's dignity not to flinch. The man's words about Pepper rang in his ears, over and over, his mind seemingly unable to comprehend them. "Last chance to say something to your pretty little friend. After all, you won't need much use for your voice soon."

Tony glared as menacingly as he could at the man, who simply laughed. "Okay then. Let's begin."

The knife hovered teasingly over Tony's face, slipping below his eyes to his chin, leaving a gash which blood flowed profusely from. And then it reached his throat.

"Arrrrgggg!"

Despite every resolve that he would not scream, would not give the man the satisfaction of seeing him at his mercy, Tony couldn't help but cry out. The blade dug deeper into his throat, making sawing motions back-and-forth.

The last thing Tony remembered before he blacked out was the cold, sharp laugh that echoed around the room.

And deep in New York, a certain redhead shuddered, clutching at the thick red shirt hanging on her thin frame for comfort.

"_Tony…_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Thanks Alice. Dreamer 15, Carpetbakr, Marvel789, and Unikdork for replying! You guys rock your socks off!**

**Unikdork-Usually, yes it would kill you, but it would only immediately kill you if the jugular vein or carotid artery was cut. If you severed either of these, it would result in rapid blood loss and immense pain. At least, that's what experts say.**

**Carpetbakr- Oh no, you're hyperventilating! Breathe! (Yeah, I looove Skillet! They're one of those bands that I can listen to over and over and never get tired of!)**

**Alice. Dreamer 15- Thanks…I always say it's the bitter moments that make the good ones all the more sweeter. Hence chapter four.**

**Marvel789- What do you think? XD**

**Writer's block won't leave me be! Hopefully I'll be back to normal writer's block-free soon!**

Chapter Five

The store turned out to be only mere minutes away from the Rhodes' house. Pepper and Rhodey ran the whole way, not stopping to catch their breaths. When Pepper tripped over a seam in the sidewalk and skidded to the ground, scraping open her knees, she leapt right on back up and kept running.

The store was small, with a faded banner hanging over the entryway: _Ben's Big Bargains_. The two teens ran straight inside without hesitation, finally stopping for the first time.

It seemed it was mostly an older generation milling around the tiny, claustrophobia-inducing building, muttering and complaining to one another as they hobbled around on their wooden canes. It certainly didn't look like a place where a clue from a kidnapper and killer would be, and for a moment Pepper worried they had found the wrong clue.

_No, this has to be it,_ she reassured herself. _It has to be…_

Rhodey turned to her, wearing his all-too-familiar grim expression. "Where do we begin to look?" he asked, turning his brown eyes to scan the small store. Other than the few elderly women who were staring at them pointedly, probably wondering why a bunch of youngin's were in _their _store, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Pepper pressed her lips into a thin line, shaking her head.

"I-I don't know."

She watched a tall, grey-haired man fiddling with his hearing-aide for a moment before sweeping her eyes across the store. What exactly were they supposed to look for, anyway? A huge sign that says, "Here's the next clue"?

How could this be happening? And, more importantly, why? Why was this happening to Tony, one of the most unselfish people on the planet? Tony, who stopped every single time he saw a homeless person, giving them enough money to get back on their feet and told them about "second chances." Tony, who cried over the death of innocents that no one thought twice about. Tony, who never gave up on anyone, not for a second, and believed everyone deserved to be able to start over, no matter the things they had done in the past.

Pepper could feel the tears burning at her eyes, feel her cheeks burning, and she turned away from Rhodey so he couldn't tell she was about to break down. The last thing she needed was for him to deem her unable to help due to her incapability to go five minutes without tearing up, and she had to help. She had to.

She noticed Rhodey had begun combing the store for anything that seemed unusual, and Pepper followed suit. After ten minutes, the only abnormal thing she saw was the outrageous prices on peanut-butter.

She rested her back against a wall, bundling up the corner of Tony's shirt and wiping her eyes with it to rid her eyes of the tears blurring her vision. She blinked, turning her gaze around the store once more, her eyes again landing on the old man with the hearing-aide from earlier. He was barking at a man who seemed to be the manager, waving his arms around, tapping his ears for emphasis every once in a while. Pepper vaguely wondered what the old man's problem was, but she told herself it really didn't matter right then.

That's when she heard it, drifting from the old man's direction, and suddenly she understood.

"Rhodey! Rhodey, c'mere, quick!"

When the teen didn't move quickly enough, Pepper leapt over to him and dragged him by the arm over to where she had been standing.

"Geez, Pepper, what?" He asked, rubbing his sore arm. "Did you find the next clue?"

"Yes! Listen!"

A moment passed by, and Rhodey didn't hear anything but the old man and the manager squabbling. "What?"

"Hold on," Pepper whispered. "Hey you! SHUT UP!" she yelled, pointing at the old man. "My best friend's life is on the line, so unless you want a can of peaches shoved down your throat, shut your mouth and stop complaining!" The old man shut up, though only because he was unable to speak with his jaw hitting the floor. Everyone in the store had gone silent, and what Pepper had been so excited about became clear.

_It's getting harder to stay awake_

_And my strength is fading fast_

_You breathe into me_

_At last_

_I'm awake, I'm alive…_

"_What?" Rhodey asked, feeling slightly disappointed. "It's only a song. Pepper, I think you're-"_

"_It's by one of Tony's favorite bands!" Pepper cried. "He plays it sometimes when he's inventing." She lowered her voice an octave. "And don't you think it's weird rock would be playing a an old-people store?" She could've sworn she saw the old man shoot her a glare._

_She knew why Rhodey was so reluctant to believe this was the clue; they were afraid of getting their hopes up and having them brutally crushed. But Pepper was sure this was the next clue. She could feel it in her bones._

_Pepper walked a few feet, stopped, and listened. The music was definitely louder, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. She tentatively took another step and froze. Slowly, she tilted her head back to look at the ceiling._

"_Get me a chair." When Rhodey didn't move, she raised her voice. "Now!" Rhodey hastened for a wooden chair in a corner, and he brought it to Pepper. She set it down, then climbed on top of it, reaching up her arms. They were just long enough that her fingers skimmed the surface of the ceiling._

_She jumped, knocking the flat palm of her hand roughly against the plaster, and then again, and again, feeling the ceiling bend beneath her f=hands. She heard the manager and some elderly men and women gasp, giving cries of indignation, but she ignored them, bringing her fist through the ceiling again._

_The plaster gave out in a cascade of dust and chunks of plaster. Pepper squealed, toppling off the chair onto the floor, as a small area of ceiling caved in on her. She coughed, eyes watering from the dust, as she pulled herself to her knees, straining her ears once more._

_There._

_She dove for a mound of plaster, shoving it away feverishly, heart hammering in her ribcage like a shark in an aquarium. Finally, she fund what she was looking for, and she let out a cry, seizing it and holding it to her chest as the music poured from its speakers._

_Tony's phone._

_She brushed aside the tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she drew her knees to her chest, watching as Rhodey searched the rubble for something else. He straightened up a moment later, grimly holding something out for Pepper to see._

_A stopwatch with the numbers 1:29 on it._

_Tony had an hour and twenty-nine minutes to live._

_Rhodey held out a hand, pulling Pepper to her feet, offering her a loose one-armed hug before he attempted to pry the phone from Pepper's fingers. She resisted at first, not wanting to relinquish her hold on one of Tony's possessions._

"_Pepper, we need the next clue," he coaxed, and finally, she let him have the Pod. She watched Rhodey, her eyes puffy and her breath coming from her mouth, as he searched through the pictures. Suddenly, Pepper heard him inhale sharply, and then he handed her the phone to show her the picture on the screen._

_A pool of blood._

"_What, so now he's taunting us?" Pepper asked, her voice wavering. "Instead of giving us a clue, he just sends a picture of Tony's bl-blood?"_

_Rhodey slowly shook his head. "I think it's the clue. Remember what they're holding at the Academy?"_

_Pepper's eyes widened in understanding. _

"_The blood drive."_


	6. Chapter 6

_In the last twenty-four hours, I have crashed a golf-cart(oops!), had my uncle jam my stuff in a vent and then realize he didnt know how to get it down(Lol), I got attacked by my neighbor's dogs, and my sister put my binder full of drawings for a contest in the sink. Sigh, sisters._

_I APOLOGIZE FOR THE SUCKINESS AND SHORTNESS OF THIS CHAPTER!_

_This is mostly a drabble chater due to the persistance of writer's block. If writer's block were a thing, I would smash it with a sledgehammer and toss it out the window!_

_I'm kinda short on time(my computer's gonna die any minute, and my sis won't give me the charger), so I'll thank everyone for reviewing in the next chapter!_

_THANK YOU UNIKDORK! YOU ROCK!_

_And Carpetbakr, I hope you can breathe. I might be wrong, but I seem to remember something from science class about it being a bad thing when you can't breathe. lol_

_Quote of the day: Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them more._

Chapter Six

It has always been said that when the human mind realizes it is in what could possibly be the last hours of its life, its life, quite literally, flashes before its eyes.

Tony thought of every thing he never got to say, every thing he wanted to have his friends know but never had the chance to tell them. He wished more than ever now that he could tell them how proud he was to be their friend, and how he wished his complicated life would at least allow them to have happiness in their own.

And now, it seemed, he might never get that chance.

Would Roberta ever know just how grateful Tony was to her for taking him, an injured, slightly-obnoxious teenager, into her home, no questions asked? Would Rhodey ever know just how much Tony respected his opinion, and loved him like a brother, despite how hard-headed he could be towards the teen sometimes? Would Pepper ever know just how much he cared about her, and see how she meant the world to him?

And what of his father?

If he died, what would become of Howard Stark? Would War Machine continue to look for him after his best friend's death? Surely he would, as a last favor to the late genius. And what would his dad think, knowing he would never again see his son?

It hurt too much, to dwell on these things. And yet, the pain was bitter-sweet.

_I swear, if I ever get out of here, I will make sure everyone realizes just what they are to me._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N Could it really be? Another chapter? From little ol' me?_

_Yup._

_Thanks Finny-Kun Goddess, UnikDork, Marvel789, Alice. Dreamer 15, Maddie Paige, Carpetbakr, un-named, Turkeyhead987, charm101, and silverpedals1402. You guys rocks! Your comments really cheer me up!_

_Quote: A man once asked me if I had lost my marbles. I was quick to assure him I kept them in a box under my bed._

_(Warning: Do not read the comment below if sadness bothers you)_

_I've recently lost a friend from my old school to what people call "car surfing." I won't go into details, but I still can't believe she's gone...I didn't even know her that well, I just know she was an amazing person, and she didn't deserve to die so young... _

_Writing is my personal way of dealing with loss (and praying and reading), so expect a whole bunch of one-shots and updates from me, and they'll probably be upbeat because I've about had it with suffering and loss. But guys, please just cherish your friends and hold them dear to you. You never really know what you've got 'til it's gone._

Chapter Seven

"AAAAAAHHH! RRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Tony's body convulsed, his arms and legs jerking wildly, as one of his captor's goons continued causing thousands of watts of electricity to surge through his body. When the electricity finally cut off, his implant was beating erratically, his heartbeat spiking from the electric shock. He doubled over, gasping and shaking uncontrollably from the agonizing pain lingering throughout his body.

"Oh, stop being such a child. I'm sure you've been electrocuted before, right? You _are_ an inventor."

Tony didn't even bother to raise his head, instead trying to concentrate on getting his teeth to quit rattling. He heard his captor laugh sharply, and he could sense he had moved closer to the teen.

"Gone mute, have you? Ah, well, I can think of ways to get you talking again."

Tony looked up in alarm as he felt something long and spiked press to his chest, and he saw two goons wrapping barbed wire around his torso. Tony tried to wriggle away, but the manacles on his wrists, along with the newly attached ones on his ankles, prevented him from being able to move more than a few inches. While one goon was busily wrapping the wire around his torso, the other one straightened out Tony's left leg. Seeing what was about to happen, Tony grit his teeth and tucked his head to the side, squeezing shut his eyes.

The wire was pulled taut and the goon slammed his fist against Tony's knee at the same moment. The teen felt his kneecap crack with excruciating pains, and the spikes on the wire dug into his chest and arms, forcing his upper arms to the side of his head as the wire was pulled even tighter.

Finally, the wire was unwound from his frame and the goons retreated. Tony's electric blue eyes took in the sight of his leg, jutting to the side at an odd angle, and he glared up at his captor.

"I-is that all y-you've go-ot?" Tony stuttered, trying to appear braver than he felt. The man laughed, blowing his jet-black bangs out of his eyes as he approached the teen, bending until he was at eyelevel with him.

"Not by a long shot," he hissed, a sadistic smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Tony spat the blood that had leaked into his mouth into the man's face, but he barely even flinched as he stepped back, wiping at the blood.

"Bring it out, fellows," the man said, positively grinning now as he called over his shoulder to the goons. One of his men stepped forward, holding a beaker of a steaming blue substance. Tony took in a sharp breath through his clenched teeth as he recognized the substance. His captor noticed, smirking.

"I see you recognize it," he grinned, eyes flashing as he received the beaker. He waved it teasingly in front of Tony's face, making the teen cringe and back up against the wall completely, trying to escape the liquid. "Florothensic acid, three times stronger than hydrochloric acid, capable of eroding skin and muscle, and, if left unattended, _bone._ Wasn't it you who discovered it by accident during an experiment?" The beaker tipped a bit to the side, the substance hovering threateningly at its lip. "I suppose it would be incredibly painful if it were to…slip out…"

A drop of the acid dropped from the beaker's opening and splashed onto Tony's leg. The teen cried out in pain as it burned straight through his jeans, reaching his skin and boring through. He grit his teeth, growling as he tried to hold back the screams threatening to erupt from his mouth.

"Come on, scream. It _entertains _me." The man raised the bottle to Tony's face and poured another drop, no bigger than a raindrop, onto Tony's deepest cut from a knife. Still the teen held back his cries of pain, although he could hear his own flesh sizzling and feel it burning.

"That's disappointing." The black-haired man straightened up and walked off a little ways before beginning to pace. "You know, I really had hoped it wouldn't come to this. But the game just isn't as fun unless I can hear you scream. An now it seems in order to do that, I must break you." He turned to one of the goons, now unsmiling. "Prepare to greet a second guest. Preferably the redhead."

Time seemed to freeze as Tony's muscles stiffened. "W-what?" he gasped. "Y-you can't!"

"I can and I will, Anthony," the man purred. He turned to the other goon. "Sedate him."

Tony went into a blind fury, flailing and kicking as he yelled every insult he could think of at the man. He completely ignored the pain now, as well as his broken bones and searing skin.

"I SWEAR, YOU HAD BETTER NOT LAY A HAND ON HER!" Tony yelled, unable to think straight as all of his logic flew out the window and was run over by a semi-truck. He barely even noticed the long needles being shoved in his arms until his vision began lacing with icy blackness, and his limbs began to feel very heavy. Still he struggled, up until his very last seconds of consciousness.

"Pepper…"

_A/N Not very proud of this chapter...oh well. If anyone can think up better methods of torture for Tony, please let me know! I'm zapped of ideas! (You could probably tell, though, when I made up an acid. -.-)_

_Tony: You're _encouraging_ them to do me bodily harm? That's so wrong._

_Me: Don't worry, you have better times ahead. Perhaps..._

_Tony: Doubtful. And you're bringing Pepper into this? You are a sick woman._

_Me: Actually, I am a girl. And I don't think I have an illness._

_Tony: That was so lame. '-.-_


	8. Chapter 8

A/N I apologize for any mistakes in this chapter and for the not-so-great quality of the content. I typed this whole chapter out on my phone, which is harder than it sounds. For some reason, I experience lack of originality when I'm not at a keyboard. XD

Thanks everyone who faved and reviewed! I'll thank by name next chapter!

I don't own IMAA. If I did...mwahaha!

Chapter Eight

The blood drive seemed to be a typical blood donor event. Men and women of all ages patiently waited in dwindling lines to have their blood drawn, conversing in low tones as to not inconvenience the donors who were giving a bit more blood then they were used to and felt a bit lightheaded.

As Pepper followed Rhodey into the gymnasium, where the drive was being held, she was overcome with the realization of just how HUGE the building was. How exactly were they supposed to find one measly clue in the enormous room? The clue could be anything, ranging from a slip of paper to an electric guitar. Where to look in such a place? There were hundreds of places for something to be quite easily concealed.

Pepper winced, cupping her elbows in the palms of her hands as she forced herself to breathe evenly to avoid a panic attack. She knew Tony was in agony; she could FEEL it. And and she hated it. Knowing that somewhere, all alone and in extreme pain, Tony was being held and tortured.

Why him?

"Pepper," Rhodey whispered, nudging her slightly in the side with his elbow. Pepper rapidly blinked, bringing her eyes to focus on her friend. "It's going to be okay."

"I know, I just-"

Her voice caught in her throat, and she stopped, eyes burning and unable to continue. Rhodey nodded in understanding, grabbing her hand and giving it a slight squeeze.

"I know how you feel, but we've got to believe he's going to be okay. Otherwise, we're not doing him very much good."

"Yeah... I guess so..."

Rhodey managed to flash a quick half-hearted smile before he relinquished his grip in Pepper's hand and looked around the gymnasium. Pepper fiddled awkwardly, fingering the Pod with one hand and twisting the edges of the red shirt with the other. She gently waved the phone beside her ear, listening to the music softly playing from its speakers. She hadn't bothered to turn off the music, instead simply turning down the volume and letting it play through his playlists. It was almost easier to pretend he was right there beside her again, walking her home as they shared the earphones and listened to music, when she had the familiarity of the music to calm her racing heartbeat.

What wouldn't she give to have him by her side, safe and protected, again?

Pepper hadn't even noticed Rhodey timidly poking around the donation areas, most likely searching for clues. She wanted to help, so she pocketed Tony's phone and cautiously stepped towards one of the women in charge of instructing donors where to head.

"Miss-"

"I'm a bit busy, kid," the brunette snapped, lazily waving a clipboard in Pepper's direction as she held a cell phone to her ear.

"But it's really impor-"

"Beat it."

Pepper felt her insides boiling at the unfairness of this woman's actions, and she wanted nothing more than to scream obscenities at her, right there, at that moment. That woman, who couldn't even be two years older than Pepper, couldn't begin to understand the severity of the situation one of the most kind, considerate people on Earth was in, and she wouldn't even give a few seconds to help her!

Pepper thought for a second she was really going to lose it, but then Rhodey appeared at her side, comforting her quietly with soft words. The woman whistled at them irritably and snapped her fingers at them, a sign clearly telling them to get moving. Rhodey glared at her, then led Pepper away to a corner of the room.

"You okay?" he asked. "You're looking kinda pale."

Pepper was about to answer when suddenly the entire gym was thrown into pitch darkness. Cries of shock ran through the room as visibility was cut to zero, and in the darkness Pepper grappled for Rhodey's arm, finding it and latching onto it like a leech.

"What's going o- EEYAH! Rhodey!"

Pepper was yanked away from the teen by unseen hands, and she was roughly slammed against the wall. "Rhodey!"

"Pepper!"

She heard him shout her name and run towards her, but a moment later she heard a clunk of metal against skull and she heard a thud as he sank to the ground. Pepper shivered in fear, hearing shouts of, "Call nine-one-one!" ringing around the room. She felt rough hands jerk her arms at an odd angle behind her back, her face pressed roughly into the wall as her wrists were bound with cord.

"What are you doing with me?" Pepper asked, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. The man didn't respond, but his intentions were clear anyway.

She didn't see the metal rod before it crashed against her skull and her vision went black.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N Oh noes, I knew y'all were gonna be mad at me for not updating sooner! Will a cookie make it better?_

_I'm totally hyped right now. My b-day is on the 27th, my group won the contest we've been at all week, and the girls on my bus have finally,_ finally_, stopped tormenting me thanks to my awesome friends._

_XD_

_I still wish I had a better computer to type on... I'm actually sneaking on my mawmaw's right now. She's old-fashioned, so she thinks computers are gonna rot my brains._

_A boy asked me the other day, "What day did 9/11 happen on?" I asked him what he though 9/11 stood for, and he said nine-one-one, the emergency phone number, because it was an emergency. WHAT? O.O_

_Anyhoo... Thanks Carpetbakr, Maddie Paige, Alice. Dreamer 15, Silverpedals1402, Finny-Kun Goddess, and UnikDork. You guys rock, especially because you haven't picked up the pitchforks and torches...YET._

IMAA_ does not belong to me...unless someone knows something I don't. XD_

Chapter Nine

"Nng…"

Pepper cracked her eyes open, only to wince and squeeze them tightly shut again as the dim light made her head spin and her skull seem to split open with a terrible headache. She forced herself to a sitting position, clutching the side of her head with her eyes still closed, trying to remember exactly what had happened. When the memories came flooding back, she gasped audibly and her eyes snapped open.

She was in a semi-small room, the lighting dim and the walls close. A few feet away from her was a heavy metal door with a hand scanner. And then, across the room-Pepper's heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her chest-was an unconscious teen held up on by the manacles on his wrists.

Who else could it be other than the inventor?

"Tony!" Pepper scrambled across the floor, seemingly unable to breathe. She froze a few feet in front of the teen, eyes widening in horror.

There was so much blood…certainly more than Pepper thought a person could live without. His face was caked with it, fresh and dried, mostly under his right eyes. His left leg was at an odd angle, angry bruises and deep, bloodied cuts covered all of his exposed skin, and his red shirt was all but shredded, his arc reactor peeking through a tear in his shirt and emanating a bluish light.

"No, no, no…" Pepper whispered, crawling closer to him, her eyes welling with tears. Up close the damage looked even more extensive, and the faint light his implant was giving off gave him a ghoulish look. Suddenly Pepper was hit with a terrible thought; he hadn't moved since she'd seen him. He couldn't be…

"Tony!" Pepper cried, taking the sides of his face in both of her hands and lowering her face to his, "wake up! Please, Tony!"

He started to cough, and Pepper was relieved for two reasons: one, he wasn't the unthinkable, dead, and two, he wasn't coughing blood, which would indicate his lungs were filling with blood.

His eyes blinked open, his electric blue eyes hazy and unfocused. His sight sharpened remarkably, however, when he realized who was directly in front of him.

"P-Pepper?" He tensed, jaw forming inaudible words as he floundered for something to say, horror evident in his crystal blue orbs. "You-no, they can't-they can't h-have you!"

Pepper stayed quiet, gently wiping the fresher blood from below Tony's eye with the palm of her hand. "I can't believe they did this to you," she whispered, lower lip wavering. Tony grimaced, closing his eyes.

"It-it's not as bad as it looks, Pep," he mumbled, though his words fell on deaf ears. Then he hesitated, worry lining his blue eyes. "They didn't hurt you. did they?"

The redhead stared at him incredulously. "Me? What about you!"

"Did they hurt you?"

Pepper sighed, touching her head where she'd been hit. "I'm fine. Scared, freaked-out, worried, but physically, fine."

She exhaled through her teeth, sinking down until she was at level with Tony, laying her head on the crook of his neck and wrapping her arms around his chest, allowing herself to think for the first time since she'd found Tony. She felt Tony's shoulder jerk as he reflexively tried to wrap his arm around her shoulders, but being as his wrists were held above his head by manacles, found this impossible. Instead he rested the side of his head on Pepper's, his arc reactor humming erratically.

"Now what do we do?" Pepper asked, biting her lip.

"I-we-uh..." Tony took a deep breath. "I don't actually-I hadn't expected-"

The scientist was interrupted by Pepper's ecstatic squeal. Tony watched on in confusion as the redhead pulled away and pulled away, reaching into her pocket-only to have her face fall in disappointment as she pulled a small, rectangular device from her pocket. Tony's eyes widened as he looked at the thing in her hands.

"Is that-is that the P-Pod?" Tony asked, excitement and hope overflowing in his voice. Pepper nodded, though her expression still downcast.

"Yeah, but the screen-the screen is cracked," she frowned.

"Lemme see," he said, waggling the fingers on his right hand. Pepper reached up her arm, pressing the phone into his chained hand. "This-this is great!" he cried, tilting his head up to look at the phone. "I doesn't matter the screen is broken, it-this-do you know what this means?"

"No..." Pepper said, shaking her head though she was secretly happy to see Tony so excited again. "Care to enlighten me?"

Tony was about to answer when they heard voices echoing beyond the heavy metal door, clarifying with every passing second. Tony's face turned to chalk, making the crimson blood stand out even more, his body tensing.

"Oh no..." he whispered in horror. He looked at Pepper, electric blue orbs meeting chocolate brown, terror reflected in Pepper's own pair. "P-Pepper...I need you to listen to me very carefully...rip off a piece of my sleeve."

"Wha-why-"

"Just do it, quickly," Tony whispered, turning to stare at the metal doors in anticipation. Of course...they'd given him just enough time to begin to heal, wake, and talk to Pepper, and now...

Pepper grabbed the phone from Tony's hand and shoved it back in her pocket before ripping off a strip of Tony's already tattered red shirt with fumbling fingers.

"Pep, I want you to get as far from me as you can, wrap that around your eyes, and cover your ears. Got me?" Tony's eyes returned to her, drilling her for an answer, so she only nodded, a bit fearfully. She did as Tony said, crawling away to one of the corners and tying the cloth around her eyes. She shoved her hands over her ears right after she heard the door open and a cold voice echo around the room. She trembled fearfully, pulling her legs to her chest and holding her hands tighter over her ears.

That did nothing to drown out the screams, though.

_A/N This chapter, for some reason, was the hardest for me to write, Maybe it was because I was trying to convey all of the emotions without going overboard-I dunno. Also, I'm probably gonna rewrite last chappie._

Iron...Heart...is_ awesomeness! Can this count as an uber-late reply, Carpetbakr?_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N Thanks silverpedals1402, Alice. Dreamer 15, Turkeyhead987, Carpetbakr, Maddi Paige, and UnikDork! Smiley emoticon inserted here._

_Thanks everyone who reviewed and/or faved this story. And ESPECIALLY thanks to everyone who wish me a happy b-day! Thanks so much! XD You have no idea how it made me feel to see the messages from y'all wishing me an awesome b-day! _

_Silverpedals1402-Aw, thanks so much! And I'm sure you would've mad this a pretty awesome story yourself! XD_

_Alice. Dreamer 15- Phew, glad I got that across correctly. XD And I'm super glad you like this! And I agree, poor Tony and Pepper...but things might start to turn around for them...possibly. XD I mustn't say more!_

_Turkeyhead987- Glad you like! I try to update as soon as possible, 'cause I know it must suck when it's like, woah, are they gonna live or what? and have to wait like a week to find out. XD_

_Carpetbakr- XD I just reread your other chapters until you update, aha! And thanks, glad you're enjoying! And you'll get a Dr. Pepper when a certain redhead goes to med school! Lol_

_Maddi Paige- Thanks!_

_UnikDork- Thanks, and I hope this was soon enough..?_

_If anyone is willing to help me think of a slow/semi-slow song for an upcoming story/one-shot, couldja please help? I can't think of anything..._

_BTW, please pretend the call at the beginning said they couldn't use the armory. I"m gonna edit that in later..._

Chapter Ten

Tony dropped his head to his chest, feeling his body going numb as he lost huge amounts of blood thanks to the deep cuts the man was making on his arms and face. He could tell he'd been cut to the bone in more than one of the incisions, and taking the phrase "like pouring salt on the wound" literally, the man had poured salt and sprayed windex in his deepest cuts.

_What's the point anymore in resisting?_ Tony wondered, his eyes fluttering weakly as he felt the blade of the knife begin its attack on a new part of his arm. Then he remembered; Pepper. Before he hadn't cared what happened to him as long as his family and loved ones weren't hurt, but now that they had Pepper…if he gave up, they'd kill her. No remorse, no guilt, just the cold-blooded murder of a girl who had done nothing more than get caught up in her friend's troubles.

Tony raised his head to weakly glare at his captor. No way would he let them hurt her.

Everything was so…fuzzy. He couldn't see hardly anything, but he could _feel_ and _hear_ everything. He could feel the cold knife slicing so easily through his skin, he could hear Pepper sobbing in the corner…

He barely even noticed when the knife stopped hacking at his skin because of the lingering pain, but he noticed when one of the man's thugs approached, holding a long grey object. Tony blinked rapidly, bringing his eyes into focus, and he realized it was a crow bar. His captor threw aside the knife, and Tony heard it clatter to the ground a few feet away as the man accepted the crow bar. The same thug stepped forward and unlocked and unclasped the inventor's manacles. Having nothing to hold him up, the teen collapsed limply in a heap, shaking horribly as he tried to force himself up with his arms in a push-up motion.

The first strike of the crow bar slamming into his ribs crushed the little air left from his lungs, and he collapsed once more, wheezing and coughing as he clutched at his shattered ribs. And still the blow was followed by another, and another.

Tony squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his breathing completely stop at intervals as his lungs rejected the emptiness and lack of air in them. Was this how he would die, weak and beaten, at the hands of a man who considered death art?

He braced himself for the blow, the last crushing blow of the crow bar that he knew would finish him off, but then he heard a cry of pain. His insides turned to ice until he realized it was his captor who had cried out, and not Pepper. With the little strength left in his body, he looked up.

Pepper was trembling as she held up a knife-the same one that had been used to cut Tony-and their captor swore under his breath and clutched his left shoulder, a dark red substance leaking between his fingers. Tony barely had time to call out to her as the black-haired man shot out his arm and closed his steely fingers around Pepper's throat, slamming her head against the wall with a crack. Pepper spluttered, dropping the knife and clawing at the hand around her throat, terror evident in her eyes.

"No," Tony wheezed, electric blue eyes clouded in horror as his mouth gaped. "No, please, no!"

That's when he realized it-his wrists were unchained. Nothing was restraining him, and no one was paying him any mind.

He was free.

IMAAIMAAIMAAIMAAIMAAIMAAIMAA

Rhodey groaned as he regained consciousness, rubbing his tender head. Ow…major headache…

He jerked his head up and opened his eyes so quickly the room around him was thrown into waves in his vision, and he grimaced, holding his head.

"Hey, Garret, the kid's awake!"

Rhodey jerked his head in the direction of the voice, eyes narrowing in distrust until he saw it was only one of the blood drive workers. "Where is Pepper?" he asked, his voice sounding unnaturally loud in his ears and making his head pound.

"Pepper?" The man, maybe nineteen or twenty, shook his head in confusion, running a hand through his blond hair. "I don't know what-"

"Pepper, the redhead who was with me!" Rhodey yelled, jumping off of the cot he had been laid on and jumping in the man's face. The man put his hands up defensively, taking a step back to distance himself from the teen.

"Look, man, you've been out for a while. There was a freak electrical shortage in the gym and you probably knocked yourself out in the darkness. Maybe you hit your head harder than we originally thought-"

"No no, NO!" Rhodey placed his hands on either side of his head, turning and giving a chair such a kick that it slammed into the wall and clattered back to the ground. "They took her… I _let_ them take her…"

"What are you talking about?" the man asked. Then he just shook his head, realizing he wasn't going to receive a straight answer. "Look, man, you hit your head pretty hard. I think you just need to rest and you'll find this freak out was just all in your head." He started to walk off, but then turned back to Rhodey. "By the way, some guy was nice enough to return this to you while you were out. He said it was yours." He handed him a watch, then began to walk away, calling over his shoulder, "That's a pretty nice watch, wish I had one like that. Looks like an original."

Rhodey stared numbly at the walk in his hands, running a hand over the smooth metal. He would recognize his best friend's watch anywhere; it hadn't left his wrist in the last year or so, especially since the crash, since it was needed to tell when the inventor needed to recharge his heart. Rhodey stared at it for another second before turning it over in the palm of his hand, looking for a clue. Finally he found the edge of a small, folded slip of paper sticking out between the chinks of metal. He pulled it out and unfolded it, solemnly reading it.

_With your pain comes one last luxury, I allow you the use of your armory._

So, now he had the armory back. It was hard to be excited, though, when he knew it was probably only a trap. He was the only person left who knew about the kidnapping; if something happened to him, they were done for. For a second Rhodey pondered running and telling as many people as he could about the kidnappings, but Tony and Pepper would certainly be killed if he did.

His friends' lives depended on him.

Rhodey took a deep breath, feeling utterly alone as he shoved the note in his pocket and started for the huge double-doors that led outside, trying to figure out what he would do when he got to the armory. That's when the watch in his hands let out a loud, mechanized beep. Rhodey stared down at it in horror, realizing what the alarm meant.

Tony had to charge his heart in less than an hour, or esle it wouldn't be murder that would end him.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N Thanks Carpetbakr, Sliverpedals1402, Finny-Kun Goddess, UnikDork, Turkeyhead987, and Maddi Paige. YOU ALL ROCK! XD_

_Carpetbakr- Ooh, really? Poor them... And thanks so much! You've left so many encouraging reviews when I'm feeling down... XD_

_Finnny-Kun Goddess- Thanks for those songs. Not sure which I'm gonna use yet. And thanks!_

_Turkeyhead987- It adds to the dramatic effect! XD_

_UnikDork- Aha, thanks. XD_

_Slverpedals1402- Glad you like!_

_Maddi Paige- I agree, gasp!_

_To tell you the truth, I was terrified to post this chapter. I know how I want the story to go, I just wasn't sure how to write this chapter out, or what exactly should happen. I rewrote it at least three times, and I'm still not really happy with it, but...ah, well. I hope you can still enjoy! XD  
><em>

Chapter Eleven

Pepper couched and spluttered, kicking and clawing wildly at her captor as the grip around her throat tightened, her vision now brimming with red. "T-Tony!" she cried out, panicking, "Tony!"

Immediately the pressure on her esophagus was removed, and she sank to her knees, coughing and wheezing, squinting to see what had happened. Tony had his arms around the man's neck, holding him to the ground to where he was out of reach of Pepper. As Tony was already weakened, the man easily threw him off, and Tony crumpled to the ground in a heap. The man lurched for the knife on the floor, but Pepper growled and kicked it across the floor to the other side of the room.

"You little…" He started for Pepper, who shrieked and starting kicking at him, but was stopped as Tony used his right leg, the left being broken, to kick him right in back of the knees, causing him to buckle. The inventor leapt forward, pinning the man down by his shoulders as he spat blood in his face.

"You do _not_ touch her!" he growled through clenched teeth, pulling back a fist and punching him in the jaw. The man pushed him off of him and slammed him into the wall with an awful _crack_, and Tony's vision swam for a moment. Their captor was instantly back on his feet, and he grabbed Tony's arm and slammed him into the middle of the floor, kicking him into the face repeatedly until the metallic taste of blood invading his mouth nose was the only thing the inventor could taste and smell. He tried to push himself back up with his elbows, but collapsed back on the floor in agony.

Pepper jumped the black-haired man from behind, causing him to fall against the wall. He snarled and kicked her in the ribs, making her gasp and double over in pain.

That was his mistake.

Electric blue eyes blazing, Tony's bloodied hands closed around the crow bar, and he shakily climbed to his feet, hobbling on one leg as he shook. "A-hem."

The man turned and_-clang!_ The crow bar hit him across the face, causing a river of blood to stream from his lip and nose. He yelled in agony, falling to his knees, and Tony hit him again across the back, causing him to sprawl across the floor.

"That-that is for-h-hurting Pep-and the last-few hours of my life," Tony hissed. Then he and Pepper looked up in alarm as they heard voices in the hall coming closer, and the man opened his mouth to shout for his companions. Tony quickly shoved a scrap of cloth in his mouth to silence him before motioning to the redhead to join him at the door. Pepper stood and ran over to him, helping him up and supporting him as he limped to the door, grabbing the crow bar as he went. They waited at the door, hearts pounding, backs pressed against the wall as they waited. The door started to slide open with a mechanized beep, and Tony hefted the crow bar, glancing at Pepper and mouthing the word 'run' at her.

The door opened, and Tony was upon the thugs with the crow bar before they had time to see their leader lying on the floor. Tony pushed Pepper ahead of him down the hall, throwing a glance back at the men who were getting back on their feet, finally recognizing the escape attempt. As he turned and stumbled down the hall, Tony figured they had maybe five seconds before they came to their senses and drew their guns.

He was wrong.

They barely had three.

The guns began firing as Tony caught up with the redhead, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pushed her head down, wincing as he heard the gunshots improving in accuracy as one whizzed by his shoulder, only missing its mark because the teen stumbled on his bad leg.

"We've got to get out of the corridor," Pepper heard Tony whisper in her ear as they ran down yet another hallway. She could tell he was quickly losing his strength now that the adrenaline rush had worn off, and his breathing was harsh and ragged. His broken leg slowed them down considerably as he had to lean against Pepper to keep from collapsing to the ground. Plus, they didn't have a chance of evading their enemies when the inventor was leaving behind a trail of fresh blood.

Then they saw it; one of the many doors in the pristine hallway was agape. They were oh so close to safety when Tony collapsed, unable to go any further. Pepper whirled around, dropping to her knees beside him.

"GO!" Tony yelled, trembling as he pushed himself to his knees, "just go! I'm fine!"

Yeah, right. Like she would just leave him there.

Pepper fastened her arms around Tony's chest and began pulling him to the room just as their pursuers rounded the corner, guns ready to fire. Pepper shrieked as Tony shoved her into the room, dragging himself in just as a bullet ripped a gash through his jeans. Still on his back, he kicked the door shut and pulled himself up along the wall, ripping the bottom out of the hand scanner and rewiring a few of the circuits. The scanner locked the door just as the thugs reached it and began pounding on it with their fists and shooting the knob with their guns, but to no avail as the door stayed sealed.

"Tony?" Pepper whispered as the inventor laid his back to the door and slid to the ground, leaving a smear of blood on the door as his face paled. He raised a shaking hand to his chest before collapsing on his side, a small pool of blood forming around his head. Pepper screamed, oblivious to the poundings at the door, and she practically flew over to Tony, pulling him away from the door and worriedly checking over him.

_He's not breathing…ohnonono… Please wake up!_

In a rush of panic, Pepper completely forgot what to do when someone wasn't breathing. She finally remembered, and she turned his head to the side, placing her hands between his ribs and using her upper body weight to press in on his chest. After doing that for a few minutes with no results, she turned his face towards her, she pressed the palm of her hand on his forehead and tilted his head back, finally pinching his nose and covered his mouth with her own, breathing two breaths into his lungs, making his chest rise and fall. Then she resumed chest compressions for a minute before trying mouth-to-mouth again.

"Please don't leave me, Tony," Pepper sobbed, hot tears trickling down her cheeks as the inventor remained unresponsive. Something was telling her that she was too late, that he was gone, but she refused to give up, even though she knew he should have begun breathing if he was going to again by now.

Suddenly he began coughing, and he jerked up to a sitting position, gulping in mouthfuls of oxygen and squeezing his eyes shut. Pepper cried out in joy and threw her arms around his shoulders, almost suffocating him again in a hug.

"I th-thought I lost you," she sobbed, shaking almost as bad as the inventor himself as she buried her face in his shoulder. She felt his hand run through her hair as his other stroked her back reassuringly.

"I wou-wouldn't think o-of leaving you here al-lone," Tony said between breaths. "That makes it twice you've saved my life here."

"You've lost so much blood," Pepper fretted, running her hands gently over his arms. His red shirt had hidden much of the severity of his chest wounds, being the same color as the blood that was escaping his body. Pepper began tending to his worst cuts and breaks, gingerly wrapping cuts in bits of cloth and cleaning away some of the blood from his face and arms and head.

"Pepper, there's something you should pr-probably know," Tony said, trying to sit up and failing miserably as he winced and collapsed once more, thumping onto his back.

"Is it bad news?" Pepper asked, stroking some of his hair away from his face and revealing his shockingly blue eyes.

"Yo-you could say that…"

"Then don't tell me," Pepper said, squeezing her eyes shut. "At this point, ignorance is probably better than knowing."

Tony's chest swelled as he breathed deeply, wincing as a pang ran through his broken ribs. "O-okay…" His eyes fluttered weakly as the overwhelming urge to rest overcame him, but he fought against it, not wanting to leave Pepper alone for a second.

"It's okay," Pepper said, pulling Tony's head onto her knees and running her fingertips along the sides of his face in a soothing manner, "go on, sleep, I'm fine."

Tony gazed up at her for a moment before closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep, the pain finally fading away into the corners of his subconscious.

Pepper looked up from the teen in surprise as she noticed the pounding on the door stop, and she heard whispers in the hall as the men came up with a plan to get to the teens.

"Rhodey, you'd better hurry," she whispered.

_A/N Will Rhodey make it in time? What do _you_ think?_

_PS, if anyone can think of any revisions to this chapter that might bump up its quality, please let me know!_


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Thanks Silverpedals1402, Alice. Dreamer 15, Finny-Kun Goddess, Turkeyhead987, Carpetbakr, UnikDork, Maddi Paige, and StarryCub! I'm really glad y'all liked the last chapter so much! I was hesitant to post it, but you all rocked and left really encouraging replies! Thanks!

Silverpedals1402- Wow, I'm so happy you liked it! Thanks so much!

Alice. Dreamer 15- I agree! XD

Finny-Kun Goddess- Thanks, I will. XD

Turkeyhead987- Thanks a ton! XD

Carpetbakr- Thanks a lot! XD I really was worried about the last chapter, but you really helped encourage me to post it anyway! XD You rock!

UnikDork- Well, thanks! Yeah, I was a little worried, but I'm glad you all liked it anyway!

Maddi Paige- Haha, I'll relay that message to him for you! XD

StarryCub- Wow, thanks so much! I try to keep the characters as they are in the show, and I'm glad it works! And yeah, it does seem Pepper is getting off a bit too easily… And actually, I was wondering if anyone would catch that. It was really hard for me to show how much pain he was in while having him fleeing down the corridor. I'm glad you liked, anyway! XD

This chapter… -.- I typed it on the computer, only to have to retype it on my phone 'cause my mawmaw's computer is messed up _again._ It wasn't all that fun to write, just because I have trouble writing Rhodey's character. Oh well, onward to the next chapter! XD

BTW, happy late Easter!

Enjoy! XD

Chapter Twelve

Rhodey ran up to the entrance of the armory, the automatic sensors picking him up as he neared.

"Rhodey Rhodes for the Iron Man armory!" he yelled, bouncing on the heels of his feet as he impatiently waited to be granted access to the armory.

"_Voice analysis complete: James Rhodes,"_ the mechanized voice of Tony's computer blared, and a moment later the huge steel door slid open and the teen ran inside.

"What do I need, what do I need…" Rhodey whispered to himself as he hurriedly glanced around the armory. He grabbed Tony's backpack/armor and set it beside the War Machine armor on the table, which the inventor had been working on for his friend. For a moment he considered bringing his friend's implant charger, but decided against it. New updates for the Iron Man armor allowed the armor itself to recharge his heart with its remaining energy as a backup plan in case he was ever in combat and in need of a recharge. It wasn't as efficient as the charger itself, but the large and clunky machine was not very portable-savvy.

Rhodey grabbed the extra repulsers for Pepper to use as a weapon just in case she needed to protect herself and grabbed bandages and gauze from Tony's desk because he had no clue what shape the inventor was in. He was almost ready to leave when he finally noticed something wasn't right.

At first he only felt a little light-headed and a tad bit dizzy, but after a few minutes he really began to realize something was wrong. The room seemed to be spinning crazily around him, and it was getting harder to breathe. He staggered towards his armor, trying to shake the unpleasant sensation off, but he didn't get more than a few feet before he tumbled to the floor on his knees, holding his head between his hands as he tried to halt the dizziness and struggled to breathe.

"No…just…just have to get…get to the armor…" he gasped, attempting to crawl towards the armor on the palms of his hands and his knees. A few seconds later he collapsed on his side, agonizing pains exploding against his skull, and it grew nearly impossible to draw oxygen into his body. He vaguely thought about how it had all been a trap, and that they were poisoning him by leaking a deadly gas into the armory as his vision started darkening. As he slid his eyes shut, he was thankful the end would at least be quick and painless…

And then he thought of Tony, and now Pepper, suffering through agonizing tortures, weak and in immense pain, hoping that just maybe Rhodey would come through and rescue them. No; he couldn't die, not like this! His best friend needed him! If he died, no one else knew what had happened to them. He couldn't let them down; Tony would do all he could for his friend if the situations were reversed, even if it mean putting his life on the line. Some stupid poisonous gas wasn't going to hinder him from saving his friends.

Rhodey pushed himself to his knees, his mind awfully groggy, unable to think clearly now as he struggled to fill his aching lungs with the air they so desperately craved. He pulled himself to his feet with a desk and staggered across the room, pain shooting through his legs as he fell to his knees several times. The pain in his head was now so terrible from his movements that only the thought of his friends in pain kept him from collapsing and giving up. He almost sobbed in relief when he tripped a third time, only to find himself at the foot of the War Machine armor. He clambered back to his feet, his shaking hands pulling the armor open and he climbed inside.

"C-computer, initiate air cleanser!" Rhodey choked out, and almost immediately the air inside the armor cleared, and he gulped in mouthfuls of air, sitting up. He closed his eyes only long enough for the throbbing in his head to stop, and then he stood, grabbing Tony's backpack and the repulsers. He started his boot jets, wasting no time rocketing into the air and zooming out the chute that led outside into fresh air. He hovered over the armory for a moment, unsure what his next move should be. Then something that very much seemed like a miracle sounded through the speakers in his helmet.

"_Message received from Anthony Stark's Pod."_

Rhodey breathed a sigh of relief. "He-he's okay," he mumbled, closing his eyes. He had to be okay, or at least alive, to be able to get a message to Rhodey. Then he addressed the computer, saying, "Trace the location of the source of the transmission."

"_Tracing... Location found, projecting a map for the coordinates."_

A holographic map appeared in front of the teen's eyes, and Rhodey grinned. Maybe things were turning around after all.

"Don't worry, guys. I'm coming," he murmured as he zoomed off over the shimmering lights of the city far below.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N Thanks Silverpedals1402, Finny-Kun Goddess, UnikDork, Turkeyhead987, Carpetbakr, Alice. Dreamer 15, StarryCub, and Marvel789 for your awesome, encouraging, goofy-smile inducing reviews! THAAANKS!_

_Silverpedles1402-Aww, thanks! That means a lot! XD_

_Finny-Kun Goddess-XD Hopefully he will. ;)_

_UnikDork-Glad you like. :D_

_Turkeyhead987-Aw, thank you so much! XD And they better!_

_Carpetbakr-THANK YOU! (hugs) _

_Alice. Dreamer 15-:D_

_StarryCub-Thanks a ton! I'm glad you think so. :) Thanks!_

_Marvel789-Thanks! Glad you liked how I wrote it! And back atcha! XD_

_My mawmaw's computer is officially dead. 0.0 Guess I'll be writing on mah phone 'til get a new one. XD I would say more, but I've gotta hurry and post this. We have a cousin staying with us this week, and I have limited computer time. :(_

_I despised this chapter. XP I can't figure out for the life of me what it is I don't like about it, so I just posted it. I hope you all like it anyway. :)_

_Hope y'all have a good week! XD_

Chapter Thirteen

"Oh…"

Tony blinked awake, feeling the agony of his wounds and taxed heart rushing back. He tried to sit up, but tumbled back to the floor, earning a gasp from Pepper, who had her ears pressed to the door trying to listen for any noises coming from the hall, as she realized he was conscious.

"Tony!" She ducked back down by his side and laid her hand on his arm, the inventor blinking rapidly up at her, trying to clear his hazy vision.

"How lon-long was I ou-out?" he asked, trying to push himself up again and failing. He laid a hand on his chest, over his implant, feeling the ache in his heart had worsened since he'd last been conscious, then dropped his arm back to the floor before Pepper could realize what he was doing. He'd already decided to not tell her about the condition his heart was in, and he especially didn't need her finding out about it by herself on accident.

"Not sure. I cleaned up some of your cuts and wrapped up your ribs with some towels I found in a drawer. You're…pretty banged up. Are feeling okay?"

Tony didn't meet Pepper's huge brown eyes. "Yeah, m-much better," he lied. He finally pushed himself to his knees with some help from Pepper, and he shakily climbed to his feet, leaning on Pepper's shoulder and keeping most of his weight on his right leg. He glanced around the room they were in, taking in his surroundings and what they had to work with. A large mirror stretched across one wall, and Tony winced as he glimpsed his own bloody and mangled image reflected back at him. A mahogany desk took up much of the room, littered with files and sheets of paper, and on top of it was a large Mac computer.

Jackpot.

Pepper helped Tony limp over to the computer, and he roughly thumped into the swivel chair at the desk, turning his attention to the computer monitor.

"Can I s-see the Pod?" he asked, glancing at Pepper. The redhead pulled the phone from her pocket, almost having forgotten about it in the first place. Tony ducked under the desk, tearing the top free of the computer tower and examining its circuitries for a minute. Then he ripped out a few wires, rewired still more, and poked around the insides of the tower, only pausing for a moment as pain shot through his body from his injuries. After a few moments he sat up and slammed his phone against the desk, making Pepper jump in surprise. The back of the Pod cracked, and Tony yanked it off, taking a pen from the desk and touching a few key points on the phone's exposed interior, making a few small sparks fly. Then he ducked back under the desk and twisted one of the computer's wires into his phone, sitting back up in the desk and watching the screen intently as it lit up.

"Um, can I ask what you were doing?" Pepper asked, then winced, realizing she may have just sparked one of Tony's geeky science talks where he babbled things nonstop no one understood but him about tech. However, he must have still been quite tired, for his answer was short, understandable, and to the point.

"Hacking the mainframes," he answered, glancing at her. "They cut out the computer in here because they knew we were here. I'm hacking back in." Then he stretched his arms out, hovering his long, thin fingers expectantly over the keyboard. A second later, encryptions began flying down the screen, and Tony's hands moved at an incredibly fast speed as he mentally solved the encryptions. Pepper watched over his shoulder, trying to figure out what he was doing, but all she saw on the screen was a jumbled mass of numbers and letters. After a few minutes, the encryptions disappeared, and a blue background appeared, displaying the word "Welcome" across the backdrop.

"We're in," Tony said, tapping his fingers against the side of the keyboard impatiently. "It should j-just take a second to load…" A home screen lit up on the monitor, and Tony grinned, making the bloody gashes on his face twist with his skin. "Good… Now just gotta connect to the armory…"

As he started tapping away at the keyboard again, Pepper furrowed her brow in confusion. "You're connecting to the armory? But how? I mean, isn't it, like, inaccessible from other computers?"

Tony tapped the Pod in reply. "The armory's c-communication systems are routed through most of my ele-lectronics, like my phone and my watch. I'm hoping Rhodey will somehow get the m-message I'm trying to send and trace the message back…wherever we are, so h-he can rescue you."

"'You'?" Pepper asked, suspicion dripping from her tone.

"Us," Tony corrected, not meeting her eyes again. "I meant us." Before Pepper could pipe up again, he cut in, saying, "It worked!" He turned to the redhead, catching her eye, his expression softening. "Everything's going to be okay, Pep."

Pepper blinked in surprise; it was like he had read her mind! She was just so worried about him, what with all his injuries and all. And, despite all the effort she made to push the dreadful thought from her mind, it didn't seem that Tony was planning on making it out of there alive.

"I-I know, it's just…" Pepper bit her lip, unsure what to say. Tony flashed a small smile at her, wrapping one of his hands around her own, entwining his fingers with hers, and giving it a slight squeeze, locking eyes with her. His electric blue orbs gazed into her own chocolate brown pair before he turned back to the computer monitor, their hands still loosely entwined. After a few minutes of searching through the files on the desktop, he bit his lip and cringed, angling his face away from the screen.

"What? What is it?" Pepper asked, peeking over his shoulder at the screen. Tony turned a little where the girl could see the monitor, a look of disgust plastered on his face.

"This sick jerk kept tabs on all of his victims. Where he caught them, how long they endured torture, where he killed them. He even keeps records on where he dumped their bodies." Tony scanned the list of names, groaning and turning away. "Angie Sellas was only nine when he kidnapped her. Who-who could do something like that?" It made him feel nauseous and dizzy to imagine a terrified nine-year-old having to endure the same torture he'd been put through the last few hours. Pepper saw the inventor was perturbed by the list, so she leaned over him, grabbing the mouse and scrolling down to the very bottom.

"He already has us marked in," Pepper said. "He just doesn't have our deaths recorded. Not that I'm complaining."

Tony glanced back at the screen before doing a double-take, his eyes widening. "Scroll down a little further," he demanded, staring at the screen.

"But that's all of the-oh." Pepper clicked the down arrow at the bottom of the screen, and one more name became visible to them. Tony's breath stopped, Pepper's body went rigid, as they both paled.

"No, no, no..." Tony whispered, thumping his head down on the desk and covering his head with his arms.

_James "Rhodey" Rhodes-Reason for kidnapping: Resistance of Patricia Potts and Anthony Stark. Place of kidnapping: Unknown. Time of torture: Unknown. Place of death: Unknown._

"They're going after Rhodey because we ran," Tony choked, his voice muffled by the desk. "He's being punished b-because of me."

"Uh, not that I want to add to your worries," Pepper whispered, tapping his shoulder, "but you might wanna see what just popped up on screen."

Tony slowly raised his head, almost terrified to look. A video onscreen showed at least seven thugs heading for their room, and they had high-tech looking blowtorches in one hand and guns in the other.

"They'll be here any minute."

_A/N In case anyone was confused, what they saw on the computer about Rhodey was referring to the last chapter. However, they don't know the attempt to get him failed._

_Peace peoples! :D_


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N Thanks Silverpedals1402, StarryCub, Alice. Dreamer 15, Finny-Kun Goddess, Marvel789, Espera Por Principe, Maddie Paige, Carpetbakr, UltraRed55, and UnikDork. YOU ARE ALL SO AWESSOOOMMMEE!_

_I haven't had a lot of time to myself lately because of a surprise visitation from my cousins, but I hope you can still enjoy. I have been having major writer's block lately, but I think I'm getting through it. I still can't decide how to end this, although I've narrowed it down to two endings. (I'm letting Y'ALL decide this-should the kidnapper live or die? I've never necessarily been good at character deaths, and it might make the trio seem OOC. But I'll go with whatever you guys want. ;D)_

_Yay, new readers! Thanks so much, Espera Por Principe, and I will! I'm glad you like! And yay, UltraRed55, you're on here now! YAAAY! I can't wait for you to post your stories back on here, and aww! Thanks!_

_THAAANK YOOOU ALL! There is so much more that I want to say to everyone, but even now my mawmaw is hissing at me to get off the computer. I hope you like this chapter, even though I wish I could smash it with a sledgehammer and chuck it through the window. It is very hard to write when you have a cousin yanking on your hair and screaming in your ear and etcetera. XD_

_Very short! I'm sorry, but I already have the next few chapters typed up thanks to some wise advice from Carpetbakr! XD_

_I'll probably rewrite this later...  
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Chapter Fourteen

Tony jolted from the chair, meeting eyes with Pepper. The fear was evident in her chocolate brown orbs, and somehow seeing how petrified she was made him force himself to keep cool. There was no use in freaking out; not only would it upset Pepper, but it would waste time and energy. Keeping his tone even, he asked her to listen out at the door while he searched the desk drawers for anything of use for Pepper to use in self-defense. He had to hurry, though, because he knew he didn't have much time. His chest was fit to burst with the strain his implant was putting on his heart, and his sight was brimming with red, despite his rapid blinking.

Pepper walked over to the door, pressing her ear to it and listening for any noise. She was terrified of what would happen when the thugs arrived, with Tony in the condition he was in. He had lost so much blood, and he had numerous broken bones and injuries in general. He wouldn't be able to run or defend himself at all! She was too scared to even consider the results of the next few minutes if she failed to protect him…

The redhead's head whipped around as she heard Tony cry out in pain, turning just in time to see him collapse, falling face-down on the floor. Pepper gasped, running over to him and dropping to the floor beside his limp body, her deft fingers gripping his shoulders and turning him on his back. His eyes were scrunched closed in pain, his skin chalky, and his hands scrabbled weakly at his chest as he fought to stay conscious. Pepper pulled him the short distance to the wall and leaned him against it, worriedly hovering over him, the dawning comprehension of her friend's condition overtaking her. She pressed her ear to his chest and listened to his erratic heartbeat and humming of the arc reactor, biting her lip and shaking her head. How had she not noticed-not realized… She noticed his eyes slipping closed, and she nearly panicked, terrified that if he blacked out he might never awaken.

"Stay awake," she whispered, stroking the sides of his face as his eyes slipped closed, trying to make him meet eyes with her. He weakly shook his head, a small groan escaping his bloodied lips.

"S-sorry, P-Pep…c-can't…" He forced his eyes open and stared at a point on the floor just beyond Pepper, and he hoarsely whispered, "Ged-geddit… Don't…let them…touch y-you…" His eyes flicked back to hers and they locked for a moment, everything he couldn't speak verbally reflected in his electric blue orbs. Then his eyes closed and he went limp, finally escaping the pain in unconsciousness. Pepper bit her lip, squeezing shut her eyes and clasping Tony's hand between her own as she struggled to keep a sob from escaping her clenched jaw. Why was this happening? What had they done to deserve this?

No. She didn't need to think like that. She had to be strong, not just for herself, but also for Tony.

Remembering what Tony had told her, Pepper turned around, her eyes focusing on a small automatic gun lying on the floor near where Tony had fallen, presumably from the desk drawers he had been searching through. Her shaking fingers had barely closed around the grip before the door began to shake and was knocked down, men in matching black-and-grey suits and masks trampling it and filing into the room with guns aimed at the two.

Pepper screamed, throwing her body over Tony's own to try to protect him, but she was roughly jerked to her feet in such a manner that she felt her ankle twist painfully as it was forced it into an unnatural angle. Hobbling awkwardly on one leg, she clawed at her buff, burly captors, screaming wildly as she saw Tony about to be gunned down, sheer desperation driving her actions now. She finally ripped free just as one of the thugs pointed the gun point-blank at Tony's heart and pulled the trigger. Pepper's own gun blindly fired, catching the man in the arm and making the bullet designated for the teen miss its target and hit the wall a foot from his shoulder.

Pepper cried out in pain as another bullet ripped through her sleeve and skimmed along her shoulder, fiery pains erupting throughout her upper arm. Her arm was roughly twisted behind her back, the gun clattering uselessly to the floor, and she was pushed to her knees, her arms behind her head.

_Maybe this is it, _Pepper thought to herself, determined to remain strong and not to cry, _this is where it all ends._

And then the ceiling exploded.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N Thanks Finny-Kun Goddess(Yes, cliff-hangers can be rather evil. Mwhaha! XD), silverpedals1402 (Thanks, I'm glad!), UltraRed55(Thaaaank yoooou!), Alice. Dreamer 15(Ha, thanks. I hope I'll get Sink or Swim up soon, but first I have to get a new computer), Marvel789(:)), StarryCub(Glad you like, and thanks for the suggestion!), TurkeyHead987_(Yeah, I have a hilariously fun time with them, thanks ;D And I'm glad you think so! Also, that was more of what I was considering)_, UnikDork(Thanks, and I'm not sure. It depends on how I end this), Maddie Paige(XD), Carpetbakr, and VEX XANDER(Haha, thanks!) for replying! Y'all made my day! XD_

_Alright, so, I'm having a little trouble deciding how to end this. I have two main endings in mind, only they are totally different from each other. One ending will include many more chapters, the other, not so many. And thanks StarryCub, TurkeyHead987, and UnikDork, for your suggestion about the kidnapper. XD_

_YOU PEOPLE ARE WAY TOO AWESOME!_

_Every individual reply I read, no matter how short or how long, makes me light up with happiness. Y'all have no clue how good it feels to know someone, somewhere, enjoys what I write, when people I know aren't quite so impressed, making fun of my writing. You roooock! I wish I could say more, but I'm short on time with my cousins visiting. XD (And for everyone who offers suggestions for improving the quality of the story, thanks! I'm going to go back soon and edit everything! :) )  
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_Character may start to become a little OOC because the show has never dealt with issues such as these and I'm not exactly sure how they might react, but I'll try to keep them as true to character as possible. Constructive criticism appreciated ;) (BTW, am I the only one who thinks they under-react on the show sometimes? Or am I just crazy? XD)  
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IMAA _doesn't belong to me._

Chapter Fifteen

Pepper averted her eyes, folding her arms behind her head to shield herself from the debris raining from the ceiling. When she hesitantly peeked through her squinted eyelids, she was ecstatic to see the hulking figure of War Machine standing on a mound of rubble, swiftly glancing from the armed thugs to Tony's unconscious figure. When the black-clad men finally regained their senses and finally began to fire at him, he was all too happy to return the favor, his repulsors humming with energy before he aimed and took fire.

Pepper instinctively kicked back into survival mode as gunshots and lasers whizzed past her head. She crawled over to Tony, wincing as she felt a pang run through her sprained ankle, laying him flat on the ground and wrapping her arms around his chest, half-pulling, half-dragging him under the desk, away from the gunshots where a stray bullet could mean death. As she cradled the unconscious inventor in her arms, Pepper felt her eyes burning as she felt her heart bursting with hope at the arrival of her friend. Now they had a chance… She buried her head against his chest and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the sound of firing to end.

Rhodey fought with all he had, brown eyes blazing as he punched and fired and kicked, repulsed that these men were the cause of his best friend's-his _brother's_- current condition. For once he could almost see the way Tony did when it came to his friends; although he was usually one to keep cool, he wanted nothing more than to cause these men the same pain that the inventor had gone through.

After what seemed like an eternity, only one opponent was left on his feet in the room. Rhodey snorted as he watched his eyes widen in terror before he high-tailed it out of there, nearly tripping over the unconscious body of one of his accomplices by the door, the teen not bothering to chase him. He was probably going straight to his boss, but it didn't matter as they undoubtedly already knew of the security breach. Replacements were probably already on their way now to take him down.

As soon as he caught sight of a familiar redhead peeking timidly out from under the desk against the wall, her cheeks smeared with dried blood, all of the adrenaline from the fight he had been engaged in vanished, replaced by a freezing, biting anxiety for his friends. His faceplate slid back, revealing his distraught expression as he dropped to his knees, watching as Pepper pulled his friend from beneath the desk. He felt his insides squirm as he saw his best friend's mangled, bloody shape. His face, neck, arms and chest, and really _anywhere_ not concealed by his shredded clothes hanging on his limp frame were smeared with blood, and in some places it seemed as if his skin had simply been burned away. Welts and deep cuts marked his arms, which were so caked with blood it seemed as though someone had poured a bucket of red paint on them, and his left leg seemed to be broken. Rhodey could only stare in horror for a moment before he realized the clock was still ticking on his heart. He slid the backpack off of his arm by the straps, handing it to Pepper.

"Get it on him. I can't, my armor's too clunky."

Pepper nodded enthusiastically, her matted red hair whipping around crazily, and she knelt over the inventor and carefully slid Tony's bruised and battered arms into the straps of the backpack, favoring her left arm, as blood was gushing from her right shoulder. She connected them over his chest with a _clink_ and pressed the button, and almost immediately the armor began engulfing his body with the metallic clangs of metal meeting metal, encasing first his chest, then his arms and legs, and then finally his face. After a moment, the helmet and arms and legs retracted, leaving only the chest plate covering his torso. Pepper and Rhodey watched with anticipation, hoping against all odds that the armor would be sufficient enough to keep his heart going. They breathed a sigh of relief when a small moan escaped Tony's bloodied lips as warmth spread through his chest and into his body, rejuvenating his aching limbs and chest. Rhodey sat back on his knees, closing his eyes for a moment in relief, only to jerk in surprise as he felt Pepper fly into him, hugging him as best as she could in his bulky armor.

"I-I thought w-we were going to d-die," Pepper hiccupped, her cheeks damp with tears. Rhodey only loosely hugged her back, not wanting to crush her hope by saying they weren't free yet, or that Tony was still in critical condition.

"Yeah, well, not yet," Rhodey mumbled, gently pushing her back. He stared into her eyes, grim determination meeting hopefulness. "But this isn't over yet. We need to get out of here, and Tony can't take any more fighting. I think that I might be able to create a diversion-"

"You're leaving us alone again?" Pepper cried, the terror evident in her voice. But-but he'd just gotten there! He couldn't leave them now, what if something happened to Tony and she couldn't save him?

"Pepper," Rhodey whispered gently, comfortingly, "you'll be fine. I'm just going to distract them while you and Tony escape."

Pepper closed her eyes for a moment, trying to picture sweet, sweet freedom, which was beginning to seem like a foreign concept, in her mind's eye. She didn't like this, but did she have a choice? "O-okay."

"Good. Now let's see what we can do about your arm."

IMAAIMAAIMAAIMAAIMAAIMAA

He was alive. Why was he alive? He shouldn't be alive.

The metallic taste and scent of blood was all that he could smell and taste, and his limbs ached terribly as though he had taken a plunge off of a thirteen-story building. The air was shockingly freezing meeting his nearly bare chest, as most of his red shirt was in tatters and barely hanging on his lanky frame, turning the blood on his skin to ice. And his heart… His heart felt as though it was slowly, agonizingly, being ripped from his ribcage. Although it wasn't as awful as before, it still was enough to make him nauseous and dizzy from the pain of it all.

Tony's thoughts were jumbled, fragmentary, making little-to-no sense. He could feel the hard metal of the chest plate of the Iron Man armor cocooning his chest, but how did it get there? Whose voice was that he heard besides Pepper's? Was Pepper okay?_ Why was he not dead?_

He felt Pepper's cool touch on his forearm, and he instinctively relaxed as he heard her murmur reassuringly in his ear. He wanted to force himself to full consciousness, help out in some way, figure out what was happening, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to move more than a foot without collapsing. He was close enough to death as it was.

He closed his eyes, drifting off to the sound of Pepper's voice and the feel of her warm hand entwining with his own trembling one.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N Thanks UltraRed55(Haha, you always make me laugh!), ...Me(Wow, thanks so much!), Finny-Kun Goddess, silverpedals1402(Thanks ), Turkeyhead987(Thanks! The ending of a story always makes me sad… XD), Marvel789(Thanks! And as for me, the boards took forever to okay your post, and my posts were always too long. Plus…I forgot my password, lol. And I can't remember the answer to the backup thingy XD), Alice. Dreamer 15(Thanks a ton!), Carpetbakr(You. Are. Too. Awesome. :D), Maddi Paige(Ha XD), and stylewriter565(Thanks! I'm glad you like it). You guys inspire me sooo much!_

_So, school ended Friday, so I have-gasp-three whole months to myself! Woot woot! I would have posted this yesterday, but our computer is-of course-being stupid. I actually learned something from one of my friends, though, and figured out how to fix it. Thanks! I'm really going to miss him next year. He's been an awesome friend to me this year, protecting me and not being judgmental, and I owe a lot to him._

_You all rock!  
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IMAA _doesn't belong to moi. If it did, I would most likely have a better computer. XD  
><em>

Chapter Sixteen

Pepper peeked into the hallway, muttering angrily to herself under her breath. Rhodey had told her to wait five minutes after he left to take Tony and run in the opposite direction, but so immersed in caring for the fallen inventor's wounds, she had forgotten to keep track of time.

Should she risk it and go? Or should she wait and listen for some sort of commotion? She glanced at Tony, who she had carefully propped against the wall, and was further undecided. She knelt down beside him and checked his breathing, which was as close to stabilized as it had reached since she had found him. She might as well go now; after all, it wasn't as if he was getting any stronger.

She pulled Tony away from the wall by his shoulders, lifting him up and wrapping his arms behind her shoulder blades. His feet skimmed against the floor when she walked, and his slack arms kept slipping from her hands, but it would have to do. She tilted her head to look at his face, which was mere inches from her own, and gently brushed her lips across his forehead. Then she guided his limp body around the rubble left by War Machine and poked her head into the hall, taking a deep breath. She slipped her arm around Tony's waist to make sure he wouldn't slip from her arms and stepped into the hall.

IMAAIMAAIMAAIMAAIMAA

Rhodey cautiously rounded a corner, his arms up and repulsors blazing before he was assured no one was there and lowered them. He ran down the hallway, helmet twisting from side-to-side as he searched for the men he knew must be hiding somewhere. There was no way they hadn't located him by now, and they most likely had him under surveillance. Rhodey shivered, knowing these men could be anywhere, waiting for him to make a wrong move so they could bring him down. Worse yet, they had gained access to the armory, which meant they had the schematics of the War Machine armor…that showed every weakness of the armor. Although he had tweaked and updated the armor numerous times, the inventor just didn't have the time to bring War Machine up to the same speed as the Iron Man.

The buzzing of electricity caught his attention too late as thousands of volts of electricity shot into the neck of the armor, one of its most prominent weakness points. Rhodey yelled out in pain as the enormous shock ran up his spine, shorting out the armor's circuitries. The armor drained of energy and War Machine fell with a crash, splaying limply across the floor.

The two men responsible peeked out from a corner, one of them still holding the rectangular metallic device, smoke pouring thickly from the wires on the end. He dropped the machine, and they both hefted their assault rifles, cautiously approaching the prone figure of War Machine. One of them prodded the armor with the tip of his gun before kicking Rhodey on his side with his thick rubber boots. When the teen made no movement to indicate otherwise, they assumed they had successfully completed their mission to eliminate War Machine.

One of the men walked away a few feet, laying his gun against the wall as he pulled out his walkie-talkie with his back to his accomplice, who hovered over the still form of the downed hero. He relayed his success into the device, bragging about how easily he had taken the hero down, before cutting off as he heard his assistant cry out, grabbing his gun and whirling around. He was too late as Rhodey hit him across the side of the face with the shaft of the gun, the man sinking to his knees before falling on his face. The teen glared down at him, rubbing the blood off of his cheek from the other thug's struggle before turning on his heel and slinking down the hall, gun at his side as he left the useless husk of the armor behind.

IMAAIMAAIMAAIMAA

Pepper started as she felt Tony's head shift on her arm, a small moan escaping his lips. She stopped in a corner of the hall, gently laying Tony against the wall and kneeling in front of him as his eyes slightly opened, just enough to catch Pepper in his sights.

"Pep…" he whispered before he started to cough, tilting his head to where his chin touched his chest plate as he trying to halt the dizziness in his head. Pepper shushed him, sitting beside him and entwining her hand in his.

"Shh, don't say anything," she whispered, searching his expression as she squeezed his hand in her own. He ignored her, licking his dry and blood-crusted lips before trying again to speak.

"You-you are w-way too good to m-me," he said, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. "I don't kn-know what I'd do without y-you."

"Aw, I know what you mean," Pepper smiled, "you're an awesome friend to me, too."

"No," Tony said, shaking his head. It was suddenly very important to him to make her understand what she meant to him, especially under these conditions when the threat of death loomed behind every corner. "Pe-Pep, I-" He noticed her shoulder, and he blinked, saying, "Y-you're hurt."

Pepper glanced at her wound, shaking it off. "Really, Tony, I can barely feel it by now. It's not as deep as it looks."

"They hu-hurt you." His electric blue eyes blazed with anger and he clenched his jaw, bitterness flaring as he realized he had failed to protect her. Pepper sighed and stood, helping him to hobble on his right leg until he leaned on her side, nearly completely being supported by her. As they started down the hallway again, out of all the things that crossed his mind, the one thought that stood out more prominently was the fact he had missed his chance to tell Pepper what he had been trying to say.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N WARNINGWARNINGWARNING! A lot of you are probably going to hate me if you don't continue reading the next few chapters! I don't want to spoil the ending, but...just keep reading. I usually wouldn't ask this, but this chapter might be misleading._

_Thanks Finny-Kun Goddess(XD), silverpedals1402(Thanks, me too XD), UltraRed55(I'm glad! And noooo, stay back, cat! I have an ELECTRIC pitchfork. ^.^), Alice. Dreamer 15(I hope this is long enough! XD), and Carpetbakr(Ha, not totally! Thanks!)! Thanks so much for replying, even though I haven't felt like much of a writer lately. :( You really cheered me up!_

_So, this chapter is where everything starts rapidly speeding up. And, for Alice's request, it is MUCH longer than my last chapter :)_

_I didn't really check over it because of the length, so I apologize for any mistakes. Criticism appreciated. :)  
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_By the way, am I the only one who thinks characters under-react on the show? In Extremis, after Black Widow took Tony, they were like, "Oh, geez, hope he doesn't die..." when anyone in real life would be like, "AHHHHH, TOOOONNNNYYY!" Just wondering if I was crazy XD  
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_If _IMAA _belonged to me, you would know it. XD_

Chapter Seventeen

Pepper and Tony ducked down behind a staircase as soon as the sound of voices drifted over to them. Peeking over the edge of the steps, they saw seven men conversing in low tones in a spacious section of the hallway that opened out into the elevator area, which was just beside the stairs. Pepper clamped her hand over her mouth when she squeaked as Tony tapped her shoulder. He pointed across the hall to where they could just barely see Rhodey's eyes as he peeked around a corner. He caught sight of his friends and waved at them, moving his assault rifle to where they could see it and then nodded his head at the men. Tony bit his lip and shook his head and mouthed the word "no."

"What?" Pepper asked, glancing at the brown-haired teen. "I see no problem with him shooting everyone in there."

"One," Tony said, still staring over the stairs, "if we ca-can, I don't want to kill a-anyone. Two, if R-Rhodey starts shoot-shooting in there, the ones he m-misses will shoot him. No, w-we need a plan."

Pepper knew it was futile to argue; he actually had a point.

Tony's eyes scanned the room for some means of escape, and his eyes landed on the elevator. He blinked, a plan forming, and he started to stand. He started at the feel of Pepper's hand on his shoulder, keeping him crouched down.

"No, first tell me what you're doing," Pepper hissed, glaring at him. No way was she going to let him needlessly put himself in danger. He sighed in exasperation, shaking her off.

"R-right now, all of those men are wo-wondering where the heck we-we are. To them, we co-could be anywhere. If I hit that elevator button, wh-when the doors slide op-open, they'll open fire on it, th-thinking that's wh-where we are, and Rhodey will ha-have a clear shot while their backs are turned."

"Fine," Pepper said, standing and creeping away, only to have Tony catch her wrist in his hand.

"Where are y-you going?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Your plan-"

"You're n-not doing that!" Tony half whispered, half shouted. "It's way too dan-dangerous for you! They might see you!"

"And it's not dangerous for you?" Pepper asked. "Tony, you have lost tons of blood, you have countless broken bones, and you look like you're about to pass out. I'm going."

Before Tony could stop her, she was sneaking around the staircase to the elevators. She waited beside the staircase for a moment, trying to calm her breathing as she felt the inventor's eyes on her back. Truth be told, she was terrified, but there was no way that she was going to let Tony put himself in harm's way. It would be suicidal for him.

She darted over to the elevator and smacked her hand against the button on the panel. Her eyes widened as it let out a ding, staring at the men, but none of them seemed to have noticed the noise. She stepped backwards, eyes on the men, before hurrying back to Tony, crouching down beside him and trying to ignore the look he was giving her. A minute later the elevator door slid back with a louder ding, and, as predicted, the men shouted and turned their guns on the open elevator. Rhodey began shooting limbs, arms and legs, and almost all of the men were on the ground, writhing in pain, before they realized what had happened and turned their guns to the corner and opened fire, Rhodey whirling back moments before chunks of plaster were blasted off of the wall where he had been. The three men still standing ran after him.

"Arrrgh!"

Tony was pushed into the open by a thug they hadn't noticed that had snuck up behind them. He hit the tiled floor on his back with a grimace, shouting and rolling away as a knife imbedded itself where his shoulder had just been. Pepper reappeared, screaming her head off as she tackled the man and brought him to the ground in a heap. She cried out as the man fastened his hand around her neck and slammed her head against the railing, emitting a sharp crack as her skull connected with the metal banister. Tony gasped and tried to scramble over to her, but was kicked in the face and he went sprawling on the floor, the metallic taste of blood gushing into his mouth.

He staggered to his feet, spitting blood from his mouth as he watched the man step closer. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Pepper grasping her head, her hand blood-soaked when she pulled it away from the back of her head. Tony saw red from anger, ignoring the pain in his knee and tackling the man, shoving him into the open elevator doors. He was dragged inside by the front of his shirt, where he punched the guy in the face and pushed him to the ground. He tore the cover off of the control panel in the elevator car and when the man stood, sneering, he stood still and let the man grab for him before ducking out of the way at the last second, slamming his chest against the control panel. Sparks flew as the man yelled and clawed at Tony as he was exposed to the open circuitries, but he the teen didn't let go until he was sure he wouldn't be able to move. Then he dropped the groaning man onto the floor, staggering out of the elevator.

His vision was doubled, his head spinning, and he saw two Peppers shouting his name before they blended into one and he saw the panic written on her face. He didn't have to hear the click of the safety being released or see the faint outline of a man out of the corner of his eye to know he was being held at gunpoint.

"No, no, nonnono!" Pepper cried, tears streaming down her face as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Pepper, it-it's okay. I'm okay," Tony said to her. He was oddly calm even though he knew he was about to die, and all he was worried about was Pepper. He wanted her to stop crying, to see he was okay with dying. It had been inevitable from the moment he'd been kidnapped.

"Oh, I would say you are very far from okay."

Of course; it was _him._ Tony could hear the thickness of his voice, probably from a busted lip that he or Pepper had given him. He didn't seem angry that they had nearly escaped. In fact, he seemed amused, as though their attempts to preserve their lives were a mere drama on television.

He saw him step closer from his peripheral vision, pointing the gun at the side of his face. He turned to stare at him, simply smacking the gun away with the back of his hand. The man raised a brow, bringing his gun back up to aim at his chest.

"You're not afraid of death," he said, a hint of admiration in his tone.

"I've gotten used to it."

"Well, Anthony, I think it's time we've gotten to be on a first-name basis. If redhead over there would be so kind," he said, waving the gun at her, "as to tell you my name."

"Don't p-point that at her," Tony growled, feeling his hands clench so tightly his nails dug into his palms and drew blood. The man shrugged and turned the gun back on the scientist, looking to Pepper for an answer.

"Ch-Chandler," she stuttered, trying to keep from shaking as she tried to make Tony meet eyes with her, which he seemed to purposely be trying to avoid.

"Chandler. Does that seem like a fitting name for me? No? I'm working on it, I want to find one with just the right touch of fear and dread coupled with robustness." He glanced at them and laughed. "I forgot, you don't care. I'm about to kill you. Inconsiderate old me." He nodded at Pepper. "You. Get over here."

Pepper hastened to scramble to her feet, practically running over to Tony and flying into his arms, burying her face into his chest as she shook from silent sobs, Tony wrapping his arms around her as if to assure that she wouldn't be taken away from him.

"Aw, it's so sweet, like a movie. You two are the love struck teens, and I'm the bad guy. Too bad you don't get a happy ending."

No reply.

"Come on, say something. I feel like I'm in a one-side conversation."

Tony glared at him in response, so he sighed.

"Fine then. Guess we'll get down to business." He cocked the gun. "Who dies first?"

Pepper shuddered and Tony stepped in front of her protectively, finding her hand and slipping his own into it. Chandler laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, I think you don't understand. You are both going to die, no matter who dies first. Anthony, I kill you first and there is no one left to protect her. Try to protect her, and there's the same predicament."

Tony's eyes widened in horror as he realized he was right. Anything he would do to protect her…would be in vain.

"So I think she should die first. That way you have to suffer through watching her die, because, as you said, you aren't afraid of dying yourself."

"No!" Tony cried, taking a step back with his hand entwined in Pepper's, but two men they hadn't noticed quietly waiting behind them grabbed their arms and twisted them behind their back. Pepper was pushed a few feet away and shoved to her knees where she was held at gunpoint. Tony shouted for her, twisting in his captor's grasp and flailing his legs.

"NOOO! Let her go! _Don't!_ I'm begging you, DON'T!_ PEPPER!_"

It wasn't supposed to happen this way.

Pepper trembled, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her head away. This was it. It was all over.

She heard the trigger click, then the shouts of the thugs, and then-

_BLAM! BLAM!_

But…she was still alive. Why was she alive?

She opened her eyes and screamed in anguish. Tony, who must've gotten free at the last second, coughed, his lips tingeing with red as he clasped a hand over his middle, where blood was pouring thickly from between his fingers. His eyes found hers, and an unspoken message conveyed between them. Then, as Pepper watched in horror, Tony dropped to his knees and hit the floor on his front. Pepper watched his prone body, screaming for him to get up as sobs shook her body, to no avail.

_He-he-he can't be-no-no-NO!_

She broke free of her captor and crawled over to him, turning him on his back and staring at his face as she willed his eyes to open. "No, no, Tony, wake up, I love you, please don't leave me! Please, wake up!"

She finally admitted that she loved him and he wasn't able to hear her.

_A/N AHHH, don't kill me! Keep reading, that is nowhere near the end! Don't pick up your pitchforks yet! (I'm looking at you and your cat, UltraRed! I'm watching you!)  
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	18. Chapter 18

_A/N Geez, I can't believe this is almost over! Only a few more chapters to go!_

_Thanks Turkeyhead987(AHHH, NOOO! Haha, thanks), Finny-Kun Goddess(Thanks, and yeah, I thought so too, but a while back (with a different story and different site) I left it with a cliffhanger like that and everyone thought I just killed off the main character), silverpedals1402(Thanks a ton!, and he got chased off by three other thugs), StarryCub(Haha, thanks! I'm just glad you enjoy it!), Alice. Dreamer 15(I'm glad it was long enough :) and you might, possibly, get your happy ending-mwahaha! ;) ), and, of course, Carpetbakr(Thanks so much! You're comments really mean a lot...and keep that pitchfork locked up! ;))! Thanks, you guys, for all of the awesome comments and for sticking with this this story so long! :)_

_By the way, if you like my story and you have not checked out Carpetbakr's story "Iron Heart", check it out! She is a very gifted writer, and her story is amazing. Plus Carpetbakr is just plain awesome, giving me inspiration through her PMs and always keeping me cheered up. :)_

_I was up till two A.M. this morning helping my neighbor chase down her dog that jumped out the window of her house in the middle of the night. We finally found him miles down the road barking at another lab and driving the people in the houses, who were most likely trying to sleep, up the walls. ^^ Then my uncle ran his Jeep into a pond... Heh, that was pretty funny XD Until he made me get out there and help him push it out D:_

_I've been slacking off on my writing lately, but because I've started getting more motivated like I used to I decided to rewrite this whole chapter, which is why the long wait. I hope it was worth your wait :) Enjoy!  
><em>

IMAA_ does not belong to moi._

Chapter Eighteen

Rhodey stealthily crept along the hallway, back pressed tightly to the wall and assault rifle expertly held between his strong hands, his right forefinger hovering over the trigger and ready to open fire on the next thing that moved. He approached a corner, cautiously peeking over the edge and observing the empty hallway. Had he lost the men? No, it was probably a ruse, trying to provide a false sense of security for the teen so he would lower his guard, even if just the smallest bit.

The adrenaline pumping through his veins filled him with a sense of dread and paranoia, turning every suspicious shadow into a surreptitious thug trying to end him. Yet, the same thing that created such feelings of fear also pumped energy through him, the thrill of the pursuit making him tingle with anticipation. Was this the way his father felt every moment he was in the war?

A misplaced footstep by a pursuer was heard by the teen's sensitive ears and alerted him that the men were behind him. Whirling around, he crouched and began firing the massive gun, hitting one of the slower men in the shoulder. The few men chasing him must have called in backup, because now the three men pursuing him had multiplied into six.

"I'm honored that you think you need six men to take me down," Rhodey shouted as he crouched against the corner, out of their target range, "but I'm really getting sick of running." He waited a moment before jumping up and firing at them, taking down another man before they began firing back, advancing closer to him as he jumped back against the wall. Rhodey peeked around the edge of the wall and pointed the gun at them again, pulling the trigger, but a dull click was the only thing that resulted from the action. Rhodey's eyes widened as he knelt back out-of-sight and unlocked the ammo chamber, groaning when he saw it was empty. Now he was unarmed.

When the thugs rounded the corner, Rhodey dropped the useless gun and shot up, turning on his heel to escape, but one of the men, smirking as he realized his opponent was defenseless, pointed his gun slowly and deliberately at Rhodey's feet, pulling the trigger. With a blast of the gun, Rhodey collapsed, resisting the urge to howl in pain as he clutched his bloody ankle to his chest and bit his lip so hard he tasted blood.

Dragging him up by the collar of his jacket, one of the men, who had thick muscles that bulged underneath his thin black sleeved shirt, slammed his back against the wall and forced him to face them. Rhodey shifted his weight to his right ankle as he clutched at the wall behind him for leverage, the agonizing pain ripping through his calf making him grimace. The men stared at him like a bug under a microscope, analyzing his wounds and watching as he stubbornly set his jaw to keep from crying out from pain.

THWACK!

It took a moment to register the pain that came with the unexpected hit of the gun barrel against his face, but a moment later he gasping as he held his hand to his jaw, a steady stream of blood leaking from his mouth to his chin. Still he looked up at them, a glint of defiance in his hardened brown eyes, as if saying, _That all you got?_

In answer, one of the men clenched his fist, but refrained from punching him as the sound of a gunshot echoed down the hall, followed closely by a second. Along with the gunfire came the screams of a girl that made Rhodey's blood temperature drop to subzero.

"NO!" he cried, blind fear coursing through him as he realized what the gunshots meant. "No, Tony!" He tried to fling himself through the wall of thugs, trying to break the barrier they made with a half-formed idea of trying to reach his brother in his head. He was roughly pushed back, tripping over his own feet and hitting the ground as pain exploded up his injured leg.

Surely Tony was fine. No matter what situation he was in, he always managed to get out of it battered, but otherwise fine. Why would this be any different?

At least, that's what he told himself in his head. His heart was saying something a little different.

IMAAIMAAIMAAIMAA

Time seemed to stand still as the redhead cradled the fallen hero in her arms, her gentle hands sliding to cover the gaping wound in his side as tears streamed from her chocolate brown eyes. This was all wrong, he couldn't be dead. He was a hero, and heroes don't die. He was going to wake up at any moment and he would somehow manage to get them both out of this situation they had been thrown into.

How she wished that were true.

"Ahem, um, sorry to interrupt, but, you know, guy with a gun, wants to kill you, so…"

Pepper began trembling from fury, her sadness melting away to pure anger. She gently laid Tony on the cold ground, trying not to look at the pool of blood forming around his chest, standing with her hands clenched in fists at her sides as she defiantly stared at Chandler. His muscles, plainly visible due to his sleeveless black muscle shirt, and deadly gun, aimed pointblank at her head, no longer intimidated her.

"Easy now, sweetheart, I'll make this quick as possible if you just go on and give up. I don't want this to get any messier than it already is."

Pepper knew it was over for her. There was no way to escape, no means of fighting back, simply a gun pointed straight at defenseless little her. Still, she was determined to show she wasn't afraid of him until the last possible second.

"Go on, then, shoot me. I'm right here, I'm not running." Her usual speedy, happy chatter had turned into a cold, hard tone, bitterness leaking from every syllable. Out of the almost two years she had known Tony, and learned of his alter-ego, she had feared every single moment he was in that red-and-gold armor, terrified that one day he would fly from the armory and never return. Now her fear was justified, but the scientist hadn't been brought down by the hands of some major criminal, trying to defend the people he loved, as she had always feared would be the case, but he had been killed, murdered by an insane kidnapper with a gun.

Chandler seemed to falter, not expecting her to so readily accept her fate, before cocking the gun. "I have to say, you were one of my most challenging players," the man said, his lips curling upwards in a twisted smile. Pepper closed her eyes and turned away, waiting for the pain.

_THRACK! BOOOM!_

Pepper gasped as she was thrown backwards, hitting the wall and slipping to the ground as an explosion rocked the room, chunks of plaster and debris flying apart in a burst of fire and heat. She blinked, spots lining her vision and her ears ringing from the intensity of the explosion. After a few seconds of rapidly blinking her eyes, Pepper looked around and gasped.

A huge hole had been blasted into the side of the wall, exposing the city streets and numerous aircraft and emergency vehicles. Even as she watched, SHIELD agents began swarming the room wielding heavy-duty weaponry and sporting thick bullet-proof vests. Some of them stayed in the room to take down the few thugs that were attempting to flee, others rocketed off down the hallways to catch others in different sectors of the building.

Chandler didn't attempt to flee. In fact, he literally handed himself over to an agent, dropping his gun and holding out his wrists to the agent with an insane smile plastered to his lips. As he was shoved away from her, her glanced back at her and winked, and whispered so quietly that it was barely heard above the mayhem taking place, "I'm going to enjoy escaping prison. New challenges, new games." Then, just like that, he was gone.

Agents were swarming Pepper and Tony, screaming out their finds of two adolescents in critical condition. Then, seeing the severity of Tony's wounds and not even bothering to check, changed their shouts to results of two adolescents, one living, one expired.

"No!" Pepper cried as she crawled over to Tony's body, hope beginning to warm up her cold heart once more. A miracle. That's what this was, nothing short of a miracle. And if something seemingly as impossible as SHEILD coming to their rescuing could happen, maybe…another miracle could save Tony's life.

Agent Hill and Director Fury approached them to see if what they had heard was true, if Tony Stark really was dead. When Maria saw him, she gave a slight gasp, a gloved hand flying to cover her mouth in shock. Fury groaned, turning to one of the agents. "Is he-?" When he nodded, the director of SHIELD shook his head as he walked away, muttering, "Wait till the media gets a hold of this…"

Agent Hill knelt in front of Pepper, trying to check her head. "Hi, I need you to work with me. Can you tell how many fingers I'm holding up? You may have a concussion."

"No, help Tony!" Pepper cried, pointing at the downed inventor. "He needs help…"

Hill looked distressed, having never been exceptionally well with teenagers, especially heartbroken ones. They came across many, especially in her line of work, but she never quite got used to the heartbroken expressions they wore as they begged for their friends' lives. "I'm sorry, but your friend is dea-"

"No! Don't say that!" Pepper cried, glaring at her. "Tony never gave up on anyone else; he doesn't deserve to be given up on when he needs help!"

Hill searched the redhead's expression for a moment, trying to discern whether she was just in denial or actually believed he could still be alive. Then, with a sigh, she decided to humor the girl, leaning over the still boy to check his pulse. Sliding her index and middle finger over his neck, she checked all of the obvious places, a faint part of her actually hoping to find he was alive. After nearly a minute of finding nothing, Hill bit her lip and rocked back on her heels, unsure of how to relay the information to the redhead. Just as she was about to turn to Pepper, she heard something she had definitely not expected.

A faint moan escaped Tony's lips.

Gasping, Hill leaned over him again and held her ear over his mouth, listening for his breathing. Then she pressed her fingers to his neck again, a little harder, and a moment later she was shouting, "Where the heck are those paramedics? We've got a pulse!"

"Is he okay? Does that mean he's okay?" Pepper pressed for information, wringing her hands worriedly.

"He has a faint pulse, but-"

Hill stopped talking when she saw the hope glimmering in her eyes.

When the paramedics arrived, laden with medical gear, they informed Pepper she needed to leave the teen's side. When she refused, a SHIELD agent had to escort her to the other side of the room, where she watched in worry, every once in a while gingerly touching her sore head.

Rhodey eventually appeared, wheeled out on a gurney by paramedics. They were closely followed by agents marching a few handcuffed thugs to containment vehicles. Pepper ran to Rhodey's side, grabbing his hand as she trailed beside him to the ambulance.

"How is he?" is the only thing she could get him to say, other than him stating he was fine and she didn't need to worry. He'd only been shot in the foot, but how was Tony?

"I-I don't know," Pepper whispered. All of her strength she had found seemed to have disappeared, leaving her with a biting anxiety for her friends. She peeked over at the crowd of paramedics blocking her view of the inventor, and Rhodey squeezed her hand.

"It's going to turn out right. It always does," he smiled reassuringly. A few minutes later he was hefted into an ambulance and Pepper was all alone again.

When Tony was lifted onto a gurney, a breathing mask covering his mouth and nose and blood everywhere, Pepper walked over to a paramedic and begged to be allowed to ride in the ambulance with him. The paramedic refused at first, saying that they would have to begin surgery immediately in the vehicle, but the redhead eventually wore him down.

Climbing into the ambulance after he had been lifted inside, Pepper sat down on the bench that jutted from the side and took Tony's hand, smiling at him as the corners of her eyes burned.

"You're going to be just fine, Tony. You'll see."


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N Hey everyone! First off, I want to thank everyone one who has ever read, commented on, or favorited this story. Every individual favorite or comment meant the world to me, and thanks so much!_

_Thanks to Carpetbakr(Thanks for your advice in your PMs. You finally helped me get the ending going the way I want it. __J), Silverpedals1402(Thank you so much! I'm that way, too-I love it when I can read updates, but hate it when I feel the end drawing near XD), Finny-Kun Goddess(Yeah, take that, bad guys! XD), UltraRed55(It's fine! I'm having to decorate my new room, but I totally stink at decorating! XD), TurkeyHead987(Yay, the weapons are in retirement! Haha, thanks!), Maddi Paige(Thanks! And don't worry about it, it's definitely fine, I don't expect you to reply every time!), Alice. Dreamer 15(Thanks a5SD ton! Hope you enjoy the next chapters!), Dark Lancelot(Twenty chapters at the least, twenty-one at the most. And thanks, I'm glad you enjoy! :D), and stylewriter565(Here ya go! __J). Thanks so much everyone! I would thanks all of the favoriters, but I don't know how… Anyway, almost finished! NOOO!_

_I'm moving! Well, moved, I suppose. Apart from me almost breaking my ankle taking my things into the house, things went well, and I'm happy. :) I almost took a dive off the roof yesterday, helping my pawpaw, because it was so slick from all of the rain. However, thanks to my awesome friend(he caught my arm just as I was about to fall) I am alive and ready to type! XD_

_EDIT: I decided to go ahead and split this chapter in two, due to length, despite my fears no one will stick around for the final chapter. You guys definitely would NOT appreciate the length, haha, so voila-shortened. This chapter doesn't have much action now, but whatever. I hope you like, and I hope you don't mind how long it took to write these! I hope both of these chapters were worth your wait!_

_PS, I've got SOOO many ideas for my next story, but I like them all and I have no clue which to go with! They're all so different, but seem like they'd be fun to write! I might put up a poll at the end of the next chapter so y'all can pick. __J BTW, I found some of my notes on Pieces of a Whole in my old notebook, and the notes make NO sense, haha. There are little pieces of sentences scattered all over the page, horizontally, diagonally, and every-which-way, along with sketches and stuff. My mind is very disorganized XD_

Chapter Nineteen

The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, better known by its acronym SHIELD, had been tracking Chandler Clark's whereabouts for months now. Whenever it seemed they were closing in on his position, the known kidnapper and murderer always managed to elude authorities, relocating to a newer, inconspicuous location; like an out-of-use office building. However, he had been particularly sloppy with his latest kidnapping, forgetting to cover his tracks and leading a trail straight to his headquarters. However, they had no clue that the victim was Tony Stark, Pepper was told during her debriefing by an agent.

Pepper and Rhodey were, of course, drilled on the subject of finding the War Machine armor and a part of the Iron Man armor in the same building. The two merely stated they had no clue Iron Man and War Machine had been on the scene, trying to feign surprise. Pepper was the most convincing, asking questions nonstop about the armors and faking cluelessness as she asked if the heroes worked for SHIELD.

It had been seventeen hours since Tony Stark had been rushed to the surgery rooms on a gurney, and it had been four hours since he had been brought out of surgery, still deep under anesthesia, and placed into a hospital room. Despite begging and pleading from the teens, they hadn't been granted permission to visit his hospital room, the doctors saying he was still in critical condition and needed to be constantly observed. So they were forced to wait in a claustrophobic boring waiting room as their friend underwent surgery and recovered, alone.

Pepper's head was bandaged, and her shoulder, which had to have stitches, was covered in gauze. Rhodey was sitting in a vinyl chair, his leg, which was covered by a brace, propped up on another chair as he watched Pepper pace, limping slightly because of her twisted ankle. Several people had visited in the long hours that had passed, including several students and teachers from school and, surprisingly, Whitney Stane. She didn't stay long, obviously uncomfortable with the looks Pepper was shooting her, but just her appearance and her red eyes showed she couldn't completely hate the inventor like she had been acting. No one stayed longer than maybe an hour or so, unlike Pepper and Rhodey, who had been there the whole time. Happy seemed like he was going to stay, but ended up getting kicked out of the hospital when he accidentally threw his basketball and it hit the receptionist's computer. Roberta wouldn't arrive until later that day, having been in court in Las Angeles when she heard her son had been kidnapped and brutally tortured.

"Pepper, why don't you go home for a while and get some rest and change into better clothes? You look exhausted," Rhodey said after a while, cutting through the silence like a knife. Pepper turned to him, a wild look of disbelief in her eyes.

"Are you kidding me? I can't leave! What if I leave and Tony wakes up and the doctor says we can see him now but I'm not here? Or what if he wants to see me and I'm not here and-"

"I'm just saying, you're wearing the same clothes you were during…you know, and you need rest."

"Excuse me," the receptionist interjected, smiling apologetically, "but we have clothes down the hall for patients that you're welcome to use, and there is a bathroom over there for you to get washed up at."

Pepper glanced at Rhodey, who nodded at her, and she thanked the woman, heading towards the direction she pointed out. At the end of the hall she found a basket full of scrubs, plain white t-shirts, and various jeans. Grabbing a pair of baggy jeans and a white sleeveless t-shirt, she headed off to the bathroom to change. After peeling off her clothes and slipping on the new clothes, which smelled awfully like disinfectant, she put Tony's red shirt and her pants into a bag and finally looked at herself in the mirror. She still had blood smeared up her arms and on her face, and minor cuts dotting her arms and cheeks. Sighing, she filled the sink with water and began gently rinsing off her arms and face, trying not to think too much about whose blood it was.

When Pepper returned to the waiting room, she could hear the sounds of a woman arguing with a man coming from an office with the door closed.

"My mom just got here," Rhodey said tiredly in response to Pepper's questioning looks. "She's arguing with the doctor about…I don't even know what."

"Has the doctor said if Tony has-"

"No, Pepper, I would have told you if he had woken."

Pepper sighed dejectedly, curling up on the chair beside Rhodey. She had so much she wanted to say to Tony, and she felt like she was going to explode if she had to wait much longer.

An hour and a half later, a tall, thin doctor with greying hair and sunken eyes swooped into the room, addressing Roberta.

"Anthony has finally awoken from anesthesia, and he appears to be in stable condition."

Rhodey let a whoop as Pepper asked, "So Tony is going to be okay?"

The doctor laughed, running a hand through his hair. "That boy has an iron will if I've ever seen one. The chances of anyone surviving those wounds were slim to none, but however, it seems he is going to be just fine with a little time and care."

"Great! So can we see him now?"

The doctor winced. "Actually, you two won't be seeing him today, Ms. Rhodes here w-"

"WHAT?"

"She's the legal guardian of Anthony, so she is allowed to see him. However, you two are considered adolescents and-"

Pepper ignored anything else the doctor had to say by folding her arms and walking off.

Roberta followed the surgeon, clad in a billowing white surgical gown, down hall after hall, everything becoming a blur of white until they finally reached their destination, a hospital room with an enormous window on the wall so that doctors and visitors could look in and see the patient. Roberta's breath caught as she glimpsed sight of Tony through the window, and she wondered if she would ever become used to see him so beaten up in a hospital bed, which seemed to becoming a regular occurrence. The doctor gestured towards the door and told her she could go inside in low tones, and Roberta nodded. She hesitated for a moment with her hand on the knob before turning it and stepping inside.

She couldn't help it; she gasped when she saw his injuries. Closing the door and stepping closer to the foot of the bed, she observed the white gauze wrapped around his bare chest, blood seeping through in two spots just below his ribcage. His bangs had been swept off of his pallid face, showing long, deep cuts over his eyes and cheekbones. Bruises and cuts ran up both his arms, along with what seemed like peculiar burn marks. His left knee was in a cast, propped up on a pillow, and a white bandage wrapped around his head at an angle, covering from just above his right temple to right above his left ear. Of course she had been filled in on the extensive damage inflicted on him-broken ribs, two bullets in his torso, a major concussion, a broken knee, several cuts that needed stitches-but nothing the doctors could have told her would have prepared her for this sight.

Roberta's gaze turned from his injuries to his face as she really studied him for the first time in over a year. She was surprised to notice how much his height had increased over the last few months. If he stood, he would actually be taller than her! And when had he gained muscles? His arms, although not buff, were definitely more toned. She could see so much of Howard in his son, but she also could see his mother reflected in the teen. He had her smile, for sure, and shared the same mischievous glint in his eyes that could turn serious in a moment's notice just as his mother's had.

His electric blue eyes flickered, sliding open slowly as he caught sight of the lawyer.

"Hey, Roberta." He attempted a smile that transformed into a grimace as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Roberta sat in the vinyl chair beside the bed, pulling it closer to the bed so she could look him in the face. He must have seen her wince at his injuries, because he spoke up, saying, "I-it's not as b-bad as it looks. I feel t-tons better, really."

Roberta's eyes widened in realization as she recognized Tony's attempts to console her, illuminating yet another aspect in which he had grown so much. Gone was the teen she had taken in a year ago who relied on everyone's assurance that everything would turn out fine in the long run, replaced by a more mature teenager who was determined to turn things around for himself and start a fresh beginning. Instead of seeking consolation from her as he had after the plane crash, he was actually trying to comfort _her._ Roberta wondered how she could have possibly missed Tony growing up so quickly, and wished she knew what it was that made him grow up so hastily.

"How is it you have ended up in the hospital _again_?"Roberta asked, brushing a strand of hair out of his face.

"Victim of circumstance?" Tony laughed. "I'm h-honestly still trying to figure it out. If I d-do, I'll be sure to l-let you know." The light in his eyes died down a little, worry tracing his features once more. "H-how is Pep and Rhodey? Th-they won't let me s-see them."

"They're fine," Roberta said, smiling. "Worried sick, but fine. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, and s-sore, but j-just happy to e-even b-be alive right now."

After a few minutes of idle conversation, the room went quiet as there was nothing more to say. After a while Roberta stood, deciding it was time for her to go, but Tony caught her wrist.

"W-wait! I r-really like the c-company, and if you don't mind s-staying…"

Roberta smiled warmly, taking her seat once more. Maybe he wasn't completely an adult yet, but she was happy he still needed her sometimes.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N ATTENTION: ALL YOU PEOPLES WHO HAVE EVER COMMENTED ON, FAVED, OR EVEN SIMPLY VIEWED THIS STORY ARE COMPLETELY, IRREVERSIBLY AWESOME!_

_Thaaaank yooooou! Sooooo muuuuuch! XD_

_Any-who, thanks silverpedals1402(THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! *hugs* Ahem... But seriously, thanks! BTW, I started reading Fighting Til The End, and I'm gonna fav and review as soon as I finish! ;) ), Carpetbakr(Haha, me too! I'm not really a death writer... And also, thanks for all of the awesome advice and encouragement in your PMs! It helps a lot! :) ), Maddi Paige(Yup, she is. ;) And thanks!), Kiue Jin(Wow, thanks! And I've actually never seen the Saw movies-is that weird? ;) ), Espera Por Principe(Thanks, and it's totally fine! I do that sometimes, don't realize a story has been updated and then I have a ton of awesomeness to read! ;) And I'm planning to write another story soon. XD), TurkeyHead987(Haha, thanks! And I'm glad you don't have to attack me! ;) ), and vampireanna'dancer(Thanks, I am glad you like! :) )_

_This chapter contains Pepperony! If some of you don't like that pairing, I might make an alternate ending without any. /: I don't want to force anyone into reading something they don't support, but I also don't want to leave it without an ending for those of y'all who don't ship TXP. :)_

_Nooo, I don't want it to end!_

_I procrastinated putting up this chapter for a while, because... I don't want the story to have to end. :( But I have another plan in mind, so...yay! Just have to find a computer to use... I was saving for one, but I gave the money to a friend 'cause she needed it more than I did. But hopefully soon! In the meantime, all updates are coming from my phone. /:_

_Geez, there was something else I was gonna say-actually, a bunch of things-but I always forget as soon as I start writing. Um...uh...well, shoot._

_I hope everyone has enjoyed this story to the end! I try to make it as fun to read as it is for me to write. :)_

_I'mma go back and edit all of the chapters later _

_IMAA doesn't belong to me_.

Chapter Twenty

A day passed, and then another. Despite constant badgering from Pepper, the doctors were relentless in their decision that no one could see Tony while he was in recovery. She and Rhodey eventually went home for just long enough to shower and freshen up, but then they were back in the waiting room again, eagerly awaiting any news about Tony's condition.

Pepper was following around one of the doctors again, pressing him to let her see her friend. He was much younger than the others, and the redhead got the vibe that he was fresh out of college, so she hoped that he would be easier to bend.

"Please, please, please, _please_ let me see him! I swear I'm not going to break him or anything, and I'll be so quiet no one will know I'm there! C'mon, please let me see him! Please, please, please, _please_!"

The doctor sighed, turning around to face her as he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. She was really beginning to give him a headache, and she _wouldn't stop talking._

"Okay, okay, just be quiet!" the doctor begged, opening his eyes and staring at her. "You can see your friend."

Pepper squealed in delight, turning on her heel. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll go get Rhod-"

"Hold on," the doctor, whose nametag she now read said "Blake", said, catching her arm. "Only one person at a time can go."

"But…"

"It's okay," Rhodey said, limping up behind her on his crutches and clapping a hand on her shoulder. "You need to see him more than me after what you went through."

Pepper squealed, turning and crushing him in a hug. "Oh, thank you Rhodey!" She turned to the doctor in expectation, and he sighed and started down the hall, Pepper close behind, grinning in triumph.

Blake led her to a hospital room with a wide window showing inside, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Tony inside, laying on a hospital bed with his arm lazily laying over his stomach, his eyes closed and body relaxed.

"Please wait a moment," Blake said, opening the door and peeking inside. "Anthony? You awake?"

Tony's eyes opened, and he raised his bandaged hand to sleepily rub at his eyes. "Yeah…"

"Good. Well, there's someone here who really wants to see you."

Blake stepped back and let Pepper step inside the door before quietly closing it behind her. Tony's mouth dropped open in surprise as his eyes sparkled with delight. "Pep!"

"Tony!" Pepper ran over to the bed, jumping up beside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a hug, being careful to avoid his injuries. "Ooh, I've been so worried about you! Oh, yeah, and Rhodey too, but I thought I lost you! I mean, you were shot, and everybody thought you were dead, but I-"

"Nice seeing you, too, Pep," Tony interrupted with a smirk as Pepper sat back and allowed him room to push himself to a sitting position. He winced as he pushed himself up, being as he was still sore from the surgeries. "Is your head okay?"

"It's fine, I just had a minor concussion, unlike you. How is your head? Ooh, and your heart? And your leg? And-you know what, just how are you in general?" She noticed how each time he moved, he moved slowly and cautiously, as though every movement caused him excruciating pain. His breathing was even slowed, as each time his lungs inflated with air, his broken ribs screamed in protest.

"I'm fine, just tired and sore." Tony sighed, closing his eyes as he tensed. "The doctor said he expects me to recover, but I'm going to have the scars forever."

Pepper's eyes widened, and she gently stroked her hand across the cuts on his cheekbones and neck, Tony relaxing at the touch of her soft, cool skin. Deep cuts lined his face, neck and arms, some of them stitched and some simply left alone to heal. The deepest cuts were on his throat, under his eyes across his cheekbone, and a few on his chest from knives and such weaponry. Pepper tried to pinpoint her feelings about Tony having so many scars forever, but she found she didn't care.

"That doesn't change anything for me," Pepper said, smiling. "I don't care how many scars you have, you're still my best friend, and a few stupid cuts aren't going to ruin that." Trying to ignore the way Tony had turned crimson at her statement, she looked around the plain white room, saying, "So what have you been doing in here the last few days?" There wasn't much to the room, with only the bed, a trash can, and a small television set hooked up in the corner.

"Sleeping and seeing how many crumpled sheets of paper I can throw in the trash can without missing." Tony gestured at the tin trash can by the door, overflowing with crumpled papers. "And I sketched a few schematics, but I tossed them all, they were all idiotic ideas." He wanted to ask if SHIELD had found the armor in the building, but he was too afraid someone else might be listening in on their conversation. Maybe it was the size of the room, making him claustrophobic and feel like the walls would close in on him at any moment, or the peculiar smells of different disinfectants that lingered throughout the hospital, but he always felt uneasy and on guard in hospitals, as though he was under constant observation and nothing he did or said would go unnoticed.

Pepper gasped, her eyes widening as she tore her side-pouch open and feverishly searched through it, finally pulling out a red iPod touch with blue earphones wrapped around the screen. "I totally forgot, I brought you my iPod so you would have music to listen to! We already like a lot of the same music, and I filled it with other bands you like, too." She rolled her brown eyes, saying, "They had to _sterilize _it first, so I'm sorry for the funky smell. Stupid doctor."

Tony took the iPod, grinning. "This is great, Pep. Thanks." He set it beside him on the bedspread, his free hand rising involuntarily to rub the scarlet spots over his gauze from the gunshots. Pepper noticed, frowning in worry.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, pointing at the wounds. Tony glanced down at his hand as though just noticing what he was doing and dropped his arms to the bed.

"No, I mean, not as much as it did. They have me on all sorts of painkillers, so half the time I don't feel it."

Pepper nodded and smiled at him before looking around. She wasn't sure what to talk about, and she was trying to keep the conversation away from what happened to them. Her eyes landed on the trash can, and she smirked, her competitive side taking over as she glanced at him. "So, how many wadded papers can you throw in the trash can without missing?"

"More than you," Tony challenged, grinning lopsidedly at her as he leaned over the side of the bed and picked up a stack of papers and set them on the bedspread. "Ladies first."

Pepper stuck her tongue out at him, grabbing a sheet of paper and wadding it up in her hands before taking aim at the trash can and sending it flying, landing neatly atop the other papers in the trash. Tony pretended to yawn, acting unimpressed by her feat as he crumpled another piece of paper in his hands. However, his wad was thrown with much less precision, crashing into the window with a thud and startling a doctor that was passing by. As Pepper burst into giggles, covering her mouth with her hands so that she wouldn't bother anyone outside of the room, Tony pouted, laying a hand over his heart.

"That hurts. Right here," Tony said, invoking more hushed laughter from the redhead. "I am an injured man, and yet you mock me."

Pepper rolled her eyes at his dramatic actions, taking aim once more with a newly crumpled piece of paper. The inventor, feeling himself about to be upstaged, went into action, lurching forward and tickling her sides just as the wad was about to leave her hand. It hit far from its mark, hitting the wall opposite the trash can and rolling to the floor.

"Jerk!" Pepper cried as she laughed hysterically, trying to cover her sides with her arms, but Tony merely laughed, happy at having found her secret weakness.

"You're ticklish!" he laughed, dropping his hands for a moment to allow his friend to catch her breath. She gasped for oxygen, her face flushed with heat as she tried to breathe and keep from giggling simultaneously.

"V-v-very! If you tell anyone else, you're dead!"

"Why would I tell anyone else? I have a secret weapon!" Tony wiggled his fingers threateningly in the air, and Pepper launched into laughter again, pushing his arms back.

"No!" she cried, attempting to glare at him, but it seemed too faked because of her wide smile for Tony to take seriously. The teen smiled, shaking his head as he thought about how good it was to hear her laughter again and see her smile. It somehow made the last few days seem not to matter, and it erased all of the pain he had had to endure.

He caught her gaze, drinking in the sight of her. Her hair was a mess, seeming like it hadn't been brushed in a while, she didn't have a smudge of makeup on, the clothes she was wearing were too large for her, and she had dark circles under her eyes, and yet…when she laughed she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She always managed to take his breath away, no matter what she looked like or what she was wearing; she always appeared gorgeous inside and out to the scientist.

"You're so beautiful," Tony mumbled, and a red tinge creeped up Pepper's neck.

"Wh-what?"

_Did I just say that aloud? Oh man, I did, didn't I?_

"Uh, I, uh, just meant that, uh-uh…" His face was burning with embarrassment, and the way she was staring at him with her wide brown eyes made stringing together words next to impossible. "S-sorry, I-I didn't… I didn't mean to…"

Was that disappointment in her eyes? He hadn't meant to upset her; he just didn't want to make things awkward between them.

_Stark, you idiot…_

An uncomfortable silence passed between them for a few minutes, Tony mentally chiding himself for his stupidity. He chewed on his busted lower lip anxiously, contemplating what he wanted to say next. There were things he wanted to tell her that he had realized during the last few days, but did he want to do this here? Now? He made up his mind when he concluded he might not get another chance.

"P-Pepper? Uh, ca-can I ask you something? Well, tell you something?"

Pepper looked up at him curiously. "What?"

He fervently hoped she didn't notice the way the arc reactor was going crazy in his chest, the humming erratic and sharp_. Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up. _"There is so much that I've been putting off because of everything that has been going on, but I realized that if I died tomorrow, I would never have the chance to say to you what I need to say."

"Which is?"

"You-gosh-you mean the _world_ to me! Being with you is becoming an awful lot like-like _breathing_; totally necessary. And-and I-"

"What? You what?" Hope shined in Pepper's eyes as she waited for him to finish what he was trying to say.

"Pep, I-I'm crazy about you, and I'm hoping you feel the same way, because-"

Pepper lurched forward, the two teens' lips meeting as she fastened her arms behind his neck and pulled him close. Tony's legs and arms melted into mush, and his mind went blank with bliss as he melted into the kiss.

It was as if everything else in the world had vanished, including gravity. He felt like he was soaring, and free-falling, and leaping, all at the same time, and the only thing to hold him back was the feeling of Pepper's lips against his own. Pepper's arms found their way around his shoulders, her hands wrapping into his messy dark brown hair as he cupped her cheek with his right hand and tilted her face to his with his left hand's index finger and thumb.

When they finally pulled apart, they were both blushing like mad, and their eyes were practically glued to each other. Tony's heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest at the rate it was going, and his mind was numb, as though he was still unable to comprehend what had just happened. He tried to calm his rapid breathing, to no avail.

_I just kissed Pepper._ _No, she kissed me. And I kissed back._

No matter how many times he turned the words in his head, he couldn't get used to them.

"That-that was-"

"You were the one talking too much for a change," Pepper smirked, trying to refrain from laughing as Tony was unable to stop grinning like an idiot.

"If I talk some more will you do that again?"

Pepper giggled, slipping her hand into Tony's and lying against his chest, careful of his wounds. Outside the window, softly chuckling to himself, Blake thought, _No wonder she wanted to see him so badly._

The End


End file.
